


We Don’t Choose Our Time

by TheNovelSpinner



Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, At least not for the two main characters, Betrayal, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Gen, Heartbreak, May have taken some inspiration from The Last of Us, No Romance, Post-Apocalypse, Swearing, The characters are animals, death and destruction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:13:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 31,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27449941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheNovelSpinner/pseuds/TheNovelSpinner
Summary: Ben had been happy once upon a time.But that was a long time ago. That was before his world was torn from his claws, leaving behind a broken, angry shell.Now a mercenary, he only seeks to endure the rest of his days trying to forget his misery.But that all changes when a client charges him with looking after a young girl.- I wrote this a couple years ago, thought I’d give it a whirl on the good ol’ AO3. It’s pretty short, not quite novel worthy, but enough to get the job done, I think.And yes, this is basically The Last of Us, but with wolves. If I ever write a sequel, I can assure you it will be nothing like the actual sequel.Updates on Sundays and Wednesdays.
Relationships: Original Female Character(s)/Original Male Character(s)
Kudos: 1





	1. The End of Our World

**Author's Note:**

> Bear in mind, I wrote this when I was 16-17, so give me a little slack :)

A wolf sat on a ledge, overlooking a mist covered meadow. This place radiated peace and calm—and that’s why he chose it when he needed a moment to himself.

He was a large wolf, with a lean, muscular body covered in silver hair. He sat with his golden eyes closed, basking in the calming silence with a look of rapture on his grey face.

Soon, however, he heard something else; the poorly concealed noises of something creeping up behind him out of the woods beyond. He knew who it was before she had even breached the trees.

“I hear you, Rose.”

He heard a snort of defeat and his daughter came up to stand beside him.

“You’re getting better.” he said, his eyes still closed.

“Really? I doubt it.” Rose said, pawing the ground in annoyance. “Your ears are just too darn good.”

Chuckling, he looked at her. She was almost fully grown, with light brown fur and bright blue eyes.

“Well, that’s what I’m known for. Besides being the best father ever.”

She snorted, pawing at him. “ _Stop_ it! You _always_ say that.”

“It’s true, ain’t it?”

She sighed, then laid her head on his big paw. “And I’m the best daughter ever, then?”

He nuzzled her. “Exactly.”

She giggled. They stood there for a while, looking at the calm of the meadow together.

After a while, Rose got up. “Oh, I just remembered, Uncle Frank wanted to see you. He seemed excited.”

The grey wolf stood up, sighing deeply. “He probably wants to talk about that WatchGuard position that Alpha Farris keeps offering me. Welp—might as well get it over with.”

He started into the forest. Rose stood there a moment longer, watching the mist lifting from the meadow, before padding off after her father.

Frank Dukeson paced in front of a small opening in a boulder that served as the entrance to his brother’s home. The yellow-coated wolf snorted in impatience.

“Of all the unfortunate times to not be at home— _Gah_! Why does he have to be so unpredictable?”

He paced faster. “She said it would be only a couple minutes, _just_ a couple minutes—”

He looked up to see his brother and niece approaching from the woods.

“Ben!” Frank cried. “ _Finally_!”

Ben smirked at his little brother. “Hey, Frank!” he called. Then he turned to his daughter and whispered “Rose, would you leave us be for a moment?”

“Yes, Father.” Rose ran past her uncle and disappeared into the small opening. Ben sat and scratched his ear lazily. “I told you, Frank, I’m not interested in the position.”

“What? No no no, this ain’t about that at all.”

“Then what?”

“Reports have come in from the east and north watches about a possible attack.”

Ben stopped scratching his ear. “What? When?”

“The last report came in about an hour ago, that’s when I came to get you.”

Ben nodded, then stood up. “Who are the bogies?”

“They’re not sure, but there weren’t a lot of them, certainly no cause for concern—”

“Hail!” a voice rang out from the forest. The brothers turned to behold another wolf rushing towards them from the forest. “Attack! We are being invaded!” the wolf screamed. “I just came from the west watch—it’s been overrun!”

“Overrun?” Ben stepped forward. “How can that be? The west watch has almost fifty wolves stationed there!”

“It’s true!” the wolf screamed, beginning to slip into hysteria. “Horrible monsters came from every direction; we didn’t stand a chance! We’re all going to d—”

“ _Quiet_!” Ben snarled. “Get a hold of yourself! How did you escape?”

“The commander sent me when they attacked, he sent me to warn the rest of the pack!”

“Ben, we need to move,” Frank growled, “the west watch is a ten-minute run from here!”

Ben nodded, then turned to the shaking wolf. “Go to the south watch and warn them. I’ll go to the Mountain and warn Akela Farris. _Go_!”

As the wolf ran off, Ben started for the small opening where his daughter had just entered. Frank shook his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe this is happening, a whole watch overu—”

“Well, it happened” Ben snapped. “Rose! We need to go!”

Ben, Rose, and Frank all raced through the shadowed forest, the trees flashing by in a dark blur. As they ran, Rose cast nervous glances over her shoulder and from side to side.

She was afraid— _but father is here._ She looked over at him. _He won’t let anything happen._ The thought calmed her.

Soon, they reached a grassy clearing that spread out before the Mountain. It loomed high over them, providing a sense of safety in its great shadow.

The wolves leapt over a small brook that ran through the clearing. But, as they leapt, Rose slipped and fell heavily into the stream. As she did, something snapped in her leg. Ben and Frank whirled around at her agonized cry, then hurried back to her.

“My leg,” she whimpered. “I think it’s broken!”

“Hold on, Rosy—” Ben tried to calm the panic in his voice. “You’re gonna be alright, here—” he leapt down the small bank and scooped her up onto his back with his muzzle. “Just hang on, baby girl, we’re almost there—”

“Ben!” Frank cried. “Look!”

Ben turned—and his blood chilled in his veins.

Three massive grizzly bears thundered across the clearing. The ground shook with their furious charge. The biggest one lifted its enormous head and let loose a terrible roar.

“Ben! Get to the Cave!” Frank screamed. He ran straight at the grizzlies.

“Frank! _No_!”

“I’ll catch up!”

At the last moment, Frank swerved to the right and ran into the woods. One of the grizzlies turned and charged after him. The other two kept coming.

“Just hang on—” Ben turned and ran as hard as he could, Rose bumping up and down on his back as she struggled to stay on. He ran up the first of The Mountain’s foothills, the roaring of the bears lending new energy to his legs.

Soon the ground turned from grass to shale, the brittle rock breaking under their feet. Ben looked ahead and saw a cave entrance at the base of the Mountain, like a great open mouth, only a few hundred yards away.

Then Ben chanced a look back. He saw only one of the bears still in pursuit.

Before he could process this, Rose suddenly screamed.

“ _Dad! Look out!_ ”

Ben swung his head as the second grizzly charged at him from the left. He tried to avoid the monster, but it was too late.

The bear crashed into Ben and Rose, sending them flying through the air. Ben hit a nearby boulder, the impact winding him. Through a haze, he saw Rose roll across the ground, yelping in pain. Ben forced himself to get up and dragged himself over to her, gasping for breath.

The grizzlies slowed their advance and stood a few yards away. Ben fought off his nausea and stood facing them, growling viciously, his hackles raised all along his back. The bears growled back, their deep rumblings echoing through the ground.

They stood facing each other, waiting for the other to make the first move.

Suddenly one of the bears charged, roaring furiously. Ben snarled and leapt at the charging bear; teeth bared.

At the last moment, Ben ducked underneath the behemoth and slashed at its unprotected throat with his fangs. The bear screamed in pain, crashing to the ground. Before it could recover, Ben leapt upon it, his teeth buried in its throat. He tore and slashed viciously, blood spraying everywhere. So quick and accurate was Ben’s attack that the bear was dead before it realized it.

Suddenly Ben was hit with an incredibly powerful blow, some of his ribs breaking with the sheer might of it. He sailed through the air and landed heavily on his side, gasping in pain. The second bear roared in a murderous rage and charged toward him, the ground shaking under its weight. Ben closed his eyes, waiting for the blow to land—but it never did.

He heard a thud, then a cry of pain. He opened his eyes to see Frank with his teeth impeded in the bear’s throat. Then another wolf leapt onto the beast, sinking his teeth into one of its legs. Then another, then another, then another, until upwards of twenty wolves were tearing the beast apart. The bear gave one last roar, then collapsed under the fury of the wolves’ attack.

Frank ran up to Ben, covered in blood.

“Ben! _Ben!_ Are you alright?!”

Ben struggled to his feet painfully, shaking his head in a stupor. “Where’s Rose?”

Frank quieted.

“Frank! _Where is she?_ ”

“Ben—”

Ben stumbled past Frank and looked around frantically.

Then he saw her, lying on the ground, whimpering and gasping.

He began to run toward her, but, unable to take another step, he fell and crashed beside her.

“Rose—”

She gasped for air, whimpering pitifully.

“D-Dad—it hurts—”

“Everything’s gonna be alright, baby girl—I’ll save you—”

Then the gasping stopped. The whimpering stopped. She lay very still.

“Rose—no. No no no, Rose, no, please, no, _please—_ ”

Ben laid his head into the dirt, sobs convulsing his body.

“ _Please_ —don’t take her from me—not now— _please_ —”


	2. Five Years Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A clarification: I'm using dog years to make it more accurate, so 5 years in this world equals 35-40 actual years.

Ben woke with a start. He lifted his head from the pile of furs that made his bed.

He shook himself, grimacing. His head still ached from yesterday.

“Caleb?” he called out. No answer. He growled in impatience, then stretched.

The cave was empty, save for the big dire wolf skull that always sat in a corner. The old, grey wolf left the dreary cave and sat at the entrance, lifting his head to the sky. It was overcast and drizzling steadily. He sat there for a moment, letting the water run over his big, scarred body.

It had been a long time since the Predators had arrived in the packlands of Ben’s tribe. They had managed to keep the monsters at bay for a while, but eventually they were overrun—the world they knew was gone, destroyed, torn from them.

When they sought out deliverance from this horrible plague, they found they weren’t the only victims. Wherever they went, it was the same story; hundreds of bears, tigers and dire wolves—giant, vicious brutes of some bygone age—had come down from the north and annihilated everything in their path, wiping out nearly half the population of the entire continent.

The remaining survivors did whatever they deemed necessary to live. Packs were split, alliances were made, trusts were broken—even a sort of government was made in an effort to return order. But its king was corrupt and oppressing, sparking the creation of many rebellion causes.

Everyone did what they had to—especially Ben.

The old wolf opened his eyes. Caleb was coming up the steep boulder that led up to the cave.

Caleb stood beside the old wolf, panting. “No sign of the ‘Preds or soldiers, though I found signs of a convoy a little bit down the creek.”

The fox stepped a little way inside the entranceway and laid down, watching the rain. “You just woke up?”

“Yeah.”

“Figures—yesterday was pretty tiresome.”

Ben snorted. “I think fighting off a fucking tiger is a little bit more than just ‘tiresome’. My head still feels like a tree fell on it.”

Caleb got up, yawning.

“Hmm—oh yeah, I just remembered. I got a tip on where Gonzalez is.”

Ben looked up with interest. “Oh?”

“According to the tip, he’ll be at the Bay this evening—has some sort of deal going down.”

Ben stepped over the fox, going back into the cave. “Well then, we’d best get ready. If that double crossing little shit _is_ there—I’d like to show him a thing or two.”

Caleb grinned lazily. “I get an ear—eh, if I’m feeling greedy, maybe a leg.”

Ben and Caleb walked slowly through the dripping wood, the air crisp and humid. Eventually the trees ended and opened up into a sandy beach, the sea shining beyond it. They started north up the coast, the waves crashing to their left.

It was noon by the time they reached the Bay; a large pool surrounded by high jagged rock pillars.

Caleb peeked around one of the rocks. “Empty.”

Ben laid down on a smooth boulder nearby.

“Then we wait.”

Caleb sat down in a relatively dry nook in one of the pillars surrounding the Bay. “I haven’t looked forward to something like this in a _long_ time.”

Ben awoke a few hours later to the sound of a high voice. “Hurry you _idiots_! How can we intimidate someone if you act like a bunch of cubs?!”

Ben smiled to himself. “Gonzalez. You still sound like a bird with a cold.” he muttered under his breath.

He joined Caleb to peek around the jagged rock.

A group of animals—mostly coyotes, but with a few wolves in their midst—gathered around the biggest rock. At the base sat the coyote warlord, Gonzalez.

Small even for his species, his true power lay in his ability to speak eloquently and persuasively. His talent led him to becoming one of the most powerful creatures of all the west coast. He dealt in whatever he could get his paws on—mostly food and slaves, using mercenaries to do his dirty work.

He sat in the shadow of the largest pillar, his bushy tail whipping back and forth impatiently.

Ben and Caleb watched the scene shrewdly.

“About fifteen besides Gonzalez—” Caleb muttered.

“They’re probably some of his finest—he’s a long way from his usual territory.” Ben replied.

“Shouldn’t be a problem.” Caleb ducked behind the rock. “What’re you thinkin’, Ben?”

“Let’s go with Samaritan this time around.”

Caleb chuckled. “Haven’t done that one in a while. Hope I haven’t lost my touch.”

Gonzalez chewed on a crab shell furiously, looking between a gap in the rock pillars that made the entrance to the Bay. “She’s late—she’s late—why is she _fucking_ late— _Drew_! Go and see if they’re coming!”

A big wolf slowly got up and trudged over to the entryway. He hadn’t quite made it halfway when a piteous cry rang out beyond the rock wall. Everyone looked toward the sound. Again, it rang out, louder and more desperate.

“What is _that?!”_ Gonzalez screamed. “ _‘Ey_! Trevor, Jo, check it out, eh?” He watched them creep up to the wall, and peek over.

Suddenly he was grabbed from behind and whisked away beyond the wall so fast none of his crew even noticed. He opened his mouth to scream, but a pile of seaweed was promptly stuffed into it.

He gagged and spluttered, but to no avail. He was then roughly thrown into a small pool of water nearby. He looked up to see Ben standing at the edge.

“Needed to make sure you didn’t bolt.” Gonzalez, through his horror, noticed the wolf's eyes gleamed red.

Ben leapt back into the bay just as a cry of pain and anger rang out from the other side. Gonzalez struggled to escape from the pool, but the sides were too slick.

Then all hell broke loose. He cringed as the sounds of growling, screaming and death reached his horrified ears. He heard footsteps and saw some of his crew, bloody and terrified, running for their lives.

Managing to get the seaweed out of his mouth, he began to scream until he was hoarse, but to no avail, for his crew was focused on saving themselves.

Soon all the noise died away, and the coyote was left to ponder his fate.

“Hello.”

Gonzalez nearly fainted in shock as Caleb suddenly appeared beside him.

“It's been a while.”

Caleb then grabbed the terrified coyote by biting his scruff and dragging him up a hidden path out of the pool.

Gonzalez looked up to see a bloodied Ben standing over him.

“Hello, Gonzalez,” the wolf muttered, his eyes still gleaming red.

The coyote cringed before him. “Ben! Oh _sh_ —n-now now I can explain—”

“Then talk fast—I only killed five today.”

“ _Alrightalrightalright_ , I’ll talk, I’ll talk! I backed out because some ‘Preds found a stash of mine and I had to ch— _aack!_ ” He cried out in pain as Caleb wrenched on his ear.

“Do we look _stupid,_ Gonzalez? That’s a load of hooey and everyone and their mother knows it! You left us high and dry—we barely made it out alive!

“ _Aaaaagh_! Stop chewin’ on my lug! I’ll make it up to you, _have mercy_!” the coyote squealed.

Once Caleb let go of his ear, Gonzales looked at the two grim fighters with a nervous smile. “C’mon, guys—we’re all on the same side, we all do what we can—”

Ben grabbed him by his scruff and tossed him back into the Bay, the water now bloody with the six corpses lying in it.

“We’ll just see.” He turned to Caleb. “Make sure no one else is here.”

Caleb nodded and crept off.

Ben then glared at Gonzalez. “Now, we’re gonna wait and see who you’re meeting. I hope they’re somewhat valuable, for your sake. You even _think_ about runnin’ and I’ll break your leg like a twig.”

He sat down, closing his eyes. “And if this thing goes sour, I’ll do a _lot_ more than that.”

“Ben!” Caleb ran back into the Bay. “Someone is coming from the north! Looks like they’re alone, but I’m not sure.”

Gonzalez ground his nose into the sand in distress.

“That’d be the chief of the Riders—Eve Birch.”

At that moment, a sandy-colored wolf stepped into the Bay. She stopped and observed the scene before her. Then she smiled. “Well, as I live and breathe—Ben Dukeson.”

Ben glared down at Gonzalez. “You’re making a deal with the Riders? You really are fucking stupid.”


	3. The Deal

“Now now, Ben—one could say the same about you.”

Eve Birch came up out of the water and stood a couple of yards away.

“After all, you attempted to raid a Citadel with only twenty fighters.”

Ben eyed the newcomer. “What was he going to give you? Intel? Some of his crew?”

The she-wolf laughed. “Actually, he already gave me what I wanted—a chance to speak with you.”

Gonzalez looked up in confusion. “What?! Waddya mean ‘ _a chance to speak with you’_?! That wasn’t part of our deal!”

Eve smiled at the flustered coyote. “As you said, coyote—we do what we must.”

“How did you know we would come?” Caleb spoke up.

“I heard how Gonzalez had screwed you over and thought this a golden opportunity to finally meet you—so I had someone give you the tip he would be here tonight.”

Gonzalez looked up, furious. “Why, you—you _snake_!” He struggled to get up, but Ben held him down with a paw.

“Why’d you want to meet us?”

Eve came closer. “You have quite a reputation, you two. All over the west, tales abound of the unstoppable mercenaries that always get the job done—no matter the cost. I heard of you when the West Citadel was attacked. That was an amazingly _risky_ thing to do—more amazing then risky, it would seem.”

Caleb puffed up a little at this, but Ben was still wary. “And?”

“And—I require your services.”

“To do what?”

“To tr—”

Suddenly a howl sounded around the Bay.  
They stiffened.

“Soldiers.” Caleb growled. “How did they find us?”

Gonzalez began to panic. “We mustn’t stay here, they’ll catch us, they’ll take us to the Citadel, they’ll—”

“ _Quiet_!” Ben snarled.

They all began to run, between the jagged pillars and towards the woods. They hadn’t gone far when Gonzalez suddenly cried out. A soldier—a big timber wolf—had caught him by the leg and was holding him back. The coyote struggled frantically to get away, but the much larger wolf was too strong. Suddenly the wolf twisted his head sharply, breaking Gonzales’ leg. The coyote screamed in agony.

Before they had a chance to react, the dunes were suddenly alive with soldiers. They began to run across the sand toward them, snarling and howling.

“I know a place nearby we can hole up in!” Ben cried. Leaving Gonzales to his fate, the remaining three bolted into the forest, pursued by at least thirty wolves.

They ran in and around the trees until Ben suddenly slowed. “Right here!” He snapped and leapt down a steep bank right before a creak.

A small hole, just barely large enough for a grown wolf, opened up in the bank wall. Caleb jumped and disappeared into the hole, followed by Eve and Ben. The hole became a tunnel, and the tunnel eventually became a small cave.

Ben grabbed a branch of leaves that stood propped up against the wall and leapt back into the tunnel with it. He then blocked up the hole with the branch just as the first soldiers leapt down the bank.

They continued running, unaware of the small hole in the bank wall. Ben came back into the cave. “They won’t find us here.”

“So, let me get this clear—you want me to transport an item to the east coast, where a large group of Riders are. And, in return, you’ll provide me and my partner refuge in your hidden base, _with_ access to all intel and sufficient food supplies for our needs.”

Eve nodded. “ _And_ a high position in any and all raids that the Riders may carry out in the future.”

Ben shook his head. “This is unbelievable. Well, I guess that leaves only one thing—What's the item? I suppose something quite valuable, especially if it concerns a rebellion such as yours. Something to destroy a Citadel? To kill the King?”

Eve looked down for a moment. “That—well, not quite, though it’s an item of _great_ significance and—you know what? I’ll just take you to it tonight. I took it with me in the hope that you’d be here in a cave by the shore.”

Ben removed the branch from the hole and peeked out. It was dark by this time, and the forest was still.

“Clear.”

They exited the hole. Eve turned northward. “It’s a little farther up the coast.”

They began to head northward, coming out of the forest and traveling up the dunes.

Caleb dropped behind, next to Ben.

“Are you sure about this? It seems risky.”

“It's a risk I’m willing to take. If we complete this, we’ll never have to worry about anything ever again.”

Caleb shook his head doubtfully. “She hasn’t even told us what it is we’re transporting.”

“Does it matter?”

It was midnight by the time they arrived at their destination: a small cave set on a cliff wall, facing the sea.

Eve turned to the two mercenaries. “Wait here,” she said, then approached the cave. She hesitated at the entrance, called out in greeting, then disappeared.

A moment later she appeared with another wolf behind her.

It was a youngling, not quite grown, but nearly so. Her fur was silver and red, and her eyes shone bright blue.

“Well,” Eve said, “here she is! My sister, Rachel.”

Ben and Caleb looked blankly at her, not understanding. Then it dawned on them.

“You want us to transport a _child?!”_ Caleb all but shrieked.

Ben didn’t say anything—he just stood there with an incredulous expression on his face.

“I’m nearly full grown, thank you very much!” the young wolf snapped.

Ben finally found his voice. “If you expect us to take a _youngling_ all the way across the continent—”

“Now, just hold on a minute!” Eve cried. “She’s not as helpless as she appears. She’s tough, smart, and can hold her own in a fight. She was born in the middle of The End of the World, for crying out loud.”

Ben shook his head slowly. “Of all the crazy shit—”

“Hey _you_!” Rachel walked straight up to Ben fearlessly and looked him straight in the face. “I don’t _need_ you to take me anywhere—I’d much rather stay here and fight with the Riders, not go skipping around the _whole_ _fucking_ _world_ with an old fogey and a screaming little fox!”

Ben growled menacingly. “ _Bite your tongue_ , Missy _—_ you have no idea who I am, you _insolent_ _little_ —”

“ _Bite me_!”

At that moment, Eve stepped in.

“Rachel, may I speak with you a moment? _Now_?”

She took the livid Rachel aside, casting an apologetic glance toward Ben.

Caleb chuckled as the two sisters disappeared into the cave. “Well, I never—”

Ben snorted. “This was a mistake.”

“I kinda like her.”

Ben rolled his eyes at the fox. “Oh, for the love—”

Once they were in the cave, Eve spun around to face her little sister.

“Now, you listen to me! Stop acting like a child and _behave!”_

Rachel growled. “They think of me as a child—why should I act differently?”

“Because you’re _not_! And they’re our last hope of getting you away safely!”

“But I don’t want to leave! I want to stay and fight!”

Eve snarled viciously. “We’ve been over this! You’re too young!”

“I am not!”

“Don’t argue with me! You’re going and that’s that!”

“You can’t make me! _You’re not mom_!”

As soon as she said it, Rachel gasped, then looked down. They stood silent for a moment, then Rachel whimpered “I—I’m sorry—”

Eve sighed.

“No, no—you were just upset.” Eve nuzzled her comfortingly. “I care about you—too much to let you stay. I’m not trying to make you miserable.”

Rachel sniffed. “I know.”

Eve nuzzled her again. “You’ll be alright. I’ll meet you there in a few months.”

Rachel nodded, then Eve smiled. “Alright. Let’s go.”

They walked back over to the mercenaries. Eve faced them.

“Well—do we have a deal?”

Ben looked tiredly at Caleb, then back to Eve.

“I guess so.”


	4. The Old Road

Rachel sat outside of her new guardians’ den, shifting impatiently.

“ _Hurry up_! How long does it take to hide a skull, anyways?”

“Well, for one, it’s a big ‘ole skull,” Caleb’s voice drifted out from the den, “and it’s not a very big cave.”

“Why do you need to hide it?”

“Cause I killed the owner of that skull—it was my proudest kill. It was a nasty dire wolf, and had his stinking big head out to dry for weeks—”

“Oh, would you _hush!_ ” Ben’s voice snapped out from the cave. “I am so tired of hearing about that _damn_ _skull_!”

“There!” Caleb cried triumphantly. “No one’s gonna find that!” He came out of the cave covered in dust and grinned at Rachel.

She couldn’t help laughing at his ridiculous appearance. “You look like a little mole!”

Caleb shook himself off. “Mmm, they’re delicious—Hey, Ben! Do we have any more moles in the back?”

“Enough stalling!” Ben growled. He came out of the cave stiffly, shaking dirt from his coat. “We’ve already wasted enough time coming back here—let’s _move._ ”

He then walked swiftly into the forest.

Rachel looked after him with an expression of disgust on her face. “Why is he so awful?”

Caleb started after his partner. “He’s bitter—bitter at the world, and most everyone in it. He’s old, older than you think—and he’s lost a lot, the poor brute.”

Rachel stepped over a stone in the path. “What happened?”

“Eh—honestly, I’m not entirely sure—but even if I was, it’s not my story to tell.”

Ben continued walking at a steady pace, trying to ignore his two companions. As he walked, he remembered the last words Eve spoke to him—

_“Mr. Dukeson—I know this isn’t anything like you’re used to, but I’ll make it worth your while.”_

_“I don’t—”_

_“Ben.”_ Eve’s voice had hardened _. “Don’t let anything happen to her.”_

He remembered how, at these words, his heart skipped a beat. Painful memories, long suppressed, began to rise once more. He struggled to keep them down.

_“Fine, I’ll—do my best.”_

_“Thank you.”_

Then her voice lowered. _“She’s all I have left, Ben—and_ if _anything happens to her—”_

He shook the memory out of his head. If he went too far down _that_ road—there’s no telling what might happen.

  
  
An hour later, the forest began to thin. Caleb and Rachel walked a little behind Ben, who struggled to keep his mind silent.

A soft sound to his left snapped him back to reality. He stopped, stooping low. Caleb noticed this and motioned for Rachel to stoop as well.

Ben slowly looked over the underbrush into a dark part of the forest.

Silence. Then—

“Caleb, _move_!”

Caleb leapt out of the way as a dire wolf, black as pitch, suddenly burst out of the darkness, smashing its giant claws where the fox had been a moment before.

Ben immediately attacked, charging at the giant wolf, teeth bared. The monster saw him coming and turned to meet Ben, growling so viciously it sounded more like a roar.

The wolves clashed with a great thud. The much larger wolf overpowered Ben’s charge and slammed him onto his back, snapping at his throat.

Ben struggled to hold it back with his fore paws, trying to keep the massive jaws away from his face.

Closer and closer the giant teeth snapped. Ben felt his forelegs giving way.

Seconds away from overwhelming Ben, the dire wolf suddenly snarled in pain. Caleb had snuck up and sunk his teeth into the monster’s right ankle tendon, snapping it in two.

The wolf turned on the fox, roaring in fury. Caleb managed to evade the monster’s jaws and jumped in front of a log about three yards away.

Without hesitation, the dire wolf leapt at Caleb, screaming in blind anger.

At the last moment, Caleb jumped out of the way, revealing a spiked branch he had stuck at an angle underneath the log.

The monster’s fury turned to shock as it soared through the air straight toward the spike.

**_THUD_ **

The dire wolf struggled for a moment; his chest impaled by the branch. Then it lay still.

Rachel stepped out from behind a nearby boulder, eyes wide. She stood for a moment, looking in fascination at the dead beast.

”... _Fuck_!”

“Rachel! Watch your mouth!” Caleb snapped.

Ben picked himself off of the ground, groaning. His eyes shone red. “You took your sweet time—again.”

Caleb grinned. “I couldn’t find a stick.”

Ben just shook his head.

Rachel still looked at the dire wolf’s body. “I didn’t know they were so big—”

“This?” Caleb scoffed. “This was a small one. In fact, this one looks rather sickly. We usually encounter _much_ bigger things, like the one that I got my skull fr—”

“Would you _please stop_ with the fucking _skull!”_ Ben snarled.

Then he turned toward the east. “Alright, let's keep moving. He was probably an outcast, judging from his appearance. We should be fine for now.” He started off again through the forest.

Rachel shook her head, still gawking at the body.

“C’mon, Rachel!” Caleb cried.

Rachel slowly backed away from the beast, strings of regret entering her mind _._

The travelers continued until the sun shone low beyond the trees.

Ben gestured to a group of ferns around a large oak. “We’ll stop here for the night,” he said. He then slumped down in the ferns. Caleb followed suit, flopping down against a fallen tree that was covered in moss.

Rachel looked westward, watching the sun’s last dying rays through the trees, until it finally disappeared. Then she was left with her own thoughts. _This is way more intense than I thought it was gonna be—no, no, don’t think like that. You’re gonna have to be tougher than that to survive out here—and to fight._

She looked over at her two guardians. _Caleb is nice, if a bit eccentric._ _At least..._ Her gaze traveled from the fox to Ben _... he’s civil to me._ She looked at the old wolf with disdain.

Then she joined the mercenaries in the ferns and fell asleep to the peaceful silence of the forest.

“What is this place?”

Rachel gazed at the view, sprawling miles before her.

“The old pack lands of the Westcoast Tribe.” Caleb said, almost reverently. “And this was the cornerstone of it all—The Mountain.”

They stood on a ledge jutting out from the great monolith, the sun rising from the east. It had been a week since the beginning of their journey.

“How do you know all this?” Rachel asked.

“I like history. Anyways, this is where Ben once ran with his pack—they’re all gone now.”

“How awful—” Rachel looked at the beautiful landscape with more sober eyes.

“Would you two stop slacking!”

Ben’s voice came from below them.

“Alright,” Caleb sighed, “we’d best get goin’. Oh, and another thing—you’d be better off not askin’ Ben about it. But you probably already know that.”

Ben watched them descend the cliff with a dark expression. _Why do you have to tell her so much,_ he thought. _She doesn’t need to know._

When they joined him, Ben motioned to Rachel. “Go on, we’ll be along in a minute.”

When she had gone, Ben turned to Caleb. “Can you stop with all the backstory?”

“What?”

“You’re telling her a lot, Caleb—too much.”

“Aw c’mon, Ben, she’s only curious.”

“I don’t need my whole fucking past being told to everyone we meet.”

“ _You’re_ _whole past?_ I barely know anything about your past!”

“You don’t need to know.”

“We’ve been partners for almost three years, and during that time all I’ve found out is from other people. You’re awfully secretive.”

“It’s not necessary for anyone to know. Just drop it.”

“Now, Ben—”

“That’s _enough_!” Ben snarled.

Caleb took a step back. “Okay, I’ll stop! I’ll stop—” The fox gave the angry wolf a sour look before he trotted down the path. Ben hesitated a moment, breathing heavily. A tear glistened in his eye.

After a short while, he followed his partner down the steep switchbacks leading down the mountain.

They reached the foothills by noon. Ben reluctantly agreed to stop for a short rest by a nearby river. While Caleb and Rachel washed themselves in the water, Ben laid down in the shade of a large willow tree nearby.

After a while, Rachel climbed onto the bank, laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Caleb barked.

“Nothing, it’s just that—” she exploded into giggles once more.

Caleb climbed up next to her, chuckling. “What? Tell me!”

She managed to control herself long enough to answer him. “Y—your tail!” She rolled onto her back, completely overcome with mirth. “It looks so funny when it’s wet!”

Caleb looked at his dripping tale indignantly. “What? It doesn’t look _that_ b—” then he once again burst into laughter. “It looks like a rat’s tail, _hahahahaha_!”

Ben looked up from his rest. He beheld his companions with a mixture of annoyance, amusement—and jealousy. It had been _so long_ since he had a good laugh. He shook off the feeling and went back to his own thoughts.

They traveled long after that, resting little over the month it took to travel across the western side of the world. They trekked across the dry mountains of the Southwest, hot and sparsely populated. This made avoiding others easy, and so they saw hardly anyone—although they did see a fresh, uneaten deer carcass, strewn along a meadow. Ben and Caleb argued over what killed it, but Rachel only saw the horror of it—a creature killed for no reason other than pure malice.

When they had traveled almost a thousand miles, the real mountains, the great Flinties, appeared on the horizon. But between them and those mountains was a vast desert, a place rumored to hold a Predator stronghold. After much deliberation, Ben decided it would be foolish to try and circumvent the desert, as it was too large, and brought them too close to the North.

So, almost a month after they set out, they began to cross into the true Wild—and the true beginning of their troubles.

“Caleb—Ben—I seriously can’t do this—anymore—” Rachel gasped.

Caleb’s whole body seemed to be drooping under the hot desert sun. It had been four days since they started across the impossibly hot desert.

“I’m gonna agree with the girl on this one, Ben—I feel like a little stick that’s caught on fire.”

Ben looked back at the fox in confusion.

“Really? That’s the best you can come up with? ‘A little stick’?”

“Oh, I’m _sorry,_ Ben Dukeson, if my sense of humor isn’t to your liking, when my brain is on _fire!”_ The fox yelped viciously.

Ben sighed tiredly; he was beginning to feel it as well.

“Alright—we’ll stop once we reach those dunes up ahead.”

Rachel moaned. “ _All that way_? _Ooooh_ , just kill me _nowww_ —”

“Quiet! That’s not going to help anything.” Ben growled. “The dunes will shade us for the most part—by the time we get there the sun’ll be setting.”

Caleb sat down and stared at a small lizard who had popped his head out of the sand with a sour look.

“Look at you, lucky little creep—gets to burrow himself into the nice, cool under—earth—ground—tunnels, whatever.”

“Caleb—stop talking to the lizard.”

Rachel looked up at the night sky, the stars brightening the dune she sat upon. Caleb had fallen asleep—he didn’t have the endurance of the two wolves and was completely exhausted. Rachel turned to see Ben coming up the dune.

“You’d best be resting—we need all the energy we can get.”

Rachel ignored him, looking up into the vast sky. Ben came up beside her and looked up as well.

“What do you think is really up there?” Rachel said after a moment.

Ben shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Maybe there’s another place like here—maybe there’s another creature like me, wondering the same thing.”

She laid onto her back. Ben looked at her, then back up at the sky.

“Or nothing,” he muttered. After a short while, he started back down the dune. “Get some rest—you’ll need it.”

Rachel wiggled herself into the warm sand, still on her back, gazing at the stars.

She closed her eyes. _I wonder what Eve is doing_ , she thought. _Probably fighting. Probably—fight—_

The young wolf drifted off to sleep, unaware of the terrible creature that slunk through the sands not a hundred yards from where she slept.


	5. What Caleb Did

Late the following morning, Rachel was already feeling tired. It seemed even hotter than yesterday. To her right, Caleb wheezed and coughed, his fluffy tail drooping, making a trail through the sand. In front of her, Ben trudged at the same, steady pace—always the same, steady pace.

“I can’t—‘an’t—” she gasped.

“We’re almost to the foothills,” Ben said in a low voice. “There’s a river flowing through them, last time I checked.”

“Last time you—you mean when you flew over them to go south for the winter, little _bird_?” Caleb snarled irritably.

It was almost noon before they sighted the end of the desert—foothills covered in short shrubs and rocks.

“We’ll rest once we get there,” Ben said.

Caleb moaned. “Just once—just once can he remember my tiny fox lungs,” he muttered.

“You complain a lot for a mercenary,” Ben muttered.

“You _don’t_ complain a lot for a mercenary.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Neither does crossing an _entire stinkin’ desert_ —in the _summer!”_

_“_ Would you rather have gone North and been eaten by fucking _Preds_?”

“At least I wouldn’t have been so _hot_ in the belly of a grizzly bear!”

“No, no, of course—you would have been cold and _dead_!”

A couple of hours later, the foothills were only a short distance away. As she noticed this, Rachel thought she saw movement to their left. She thought nothing of it, stumbling through the sand until Ben stopped suddenly.

“Wait,” he muttered fiercely.

Rachel and Caleb stopped as well, looking around at the surrounding dunes.

Ben glared in all directions, sniffing periodically.

“We’re not alone,” he said, his lips curling back ever so slightly.

Caleb sniffed as well. “I recognize that smell—”

“What is it?” Rachel whispered, fear in her voice.

“We’ve been in deserts before—like this, but farther south—and we’ve found things—creatures that survive on nothing but anger and death—”

Caleb saw a mound of sand move slightly, then again closer towards them. He continued his description, his voice becoming lower and slower.

“Creatures—of scales and fangs—and—”

“Get behind me.” Ben had seen it too.

Rachel obeyed, her eyes glued onto the oncoming mound of sand. It stopped, then began to race towards them at an incredible speed, traveling from left to right through the sand. Caleb and Ben lowered their heads, their teeth bared.

The mound became larger as it approached. The sand behind it began to swirl and spray, revealing a golden—colored, impossibly long body. Eyes popped out from the mound; large, green eyes, pure malice blazing from them.

Rachel looked in horror as it rapidly closed the distance between them, closer, _closer_ —

But right before it arrived, it suddenly disappeared, the sand becoming still. Rachel looked around in confusion.

“Where is it?!”

They stood still, not daring to move, not daring to _breathe_. Then Ben saw the sand shifting right below them.

“ _Look out!_ ” he roared.

They all jumped away as an enormous snake burst out of the sand below them, snapping its massive jaws together like a steel trap.

Ben, Caleb and Rachel all fell to the ground as sand flew everywhere.

Through the flying sand, Ben managed to catch a glimpse of the monster, before his eyes became red with rage.

It was well over twelve feet long, its enormous fangs glistened in the desert sun, its vicious hissing filled the air. It immediately went for Rachel, as she was the closest one to it. It slithered through the sand like a lightning bolt.

Rachel screamed and desperately tried to regain her footing. But before she could, the serpent was on top of her, rearing above her with its fangs bared, dripping with venom.

But before it could strike, Caleb hit it from the side with a loud cry. The snake and the fox crashed into the sand, thrashing violently.

A large cloud of dust and sand arose from the fighters, amidst barking and hissing. Finally, the snake managed to get away from Caleb and disappeared once again into the sand.

All three of them stood still, waiting, watching—

Again, the snake burst out of the sand, this time at Ben. He avoided its wild strike, but not before the serpent had hooked its tail around Ben’s leg. Instantly, the snake had wrapped its coils around his body. Ben struggled to stand, the snake coiling tighter and tighter around his ribs.

It reared, preparing to sink its fangs into him—but Rachel appeared under Ben, sank her teeth into the snake’s body, and whipped her head with all of her might. The snake, taken by surprise, was yanked off of Ben and into the sand.

Before it could react, Caleb jumped on it and bit down into the back of its flat head. He whipped his head back and forth viciously, the snake’s coils whipping around him, until a loud _snap_ resounded through the air. Caleb stopped shaking and the snake fell dead from his jaws, its muscles still twitching.

They stood for a moment, breathing heavily. Then Ben walked slowly up to the snake’s corpse and sniffed it.

“Adder,” he muttered. “A big ole cuss—biggest I’ve ever seen.”

He shook his head, the red slowly coming out of his eyes, then nodded to Rachel. He sat down, still panting.

Rachel looked at him indignantly. “That’s it? Really? I _saved your life_!”

“That’s the closest—to a ‘thank you’—you’re gonna get out of him—sweetie,” Caleb gasped, still out of breath. After a moment, he stood up. “Ben—”

A howl sounded from beyond the dunes.

Ben stiffened. “Those aren’t Preds’—they’re _Soldiers_!” he cried. “ _Run!”_

They all began to race across the sands towards the foothills, more howls following them from the surrounding dunes. Ben caught sight of a wolf forerunner coming up from his right, gaining steadily.

“Halt!” the soldier roared. “Ben Dukeson, you're under arrest, for the massacre of— _gaaah!”_

Ben suddenly came to a stop and leapt backwards right into the soldier’s path, taking him completely by surprise. He took the wolf by the throat and slashed viciously.

Ben left the wolf, not checking to see if he killed him or not and raced to catch up with his companions. Once he did, he roared, “There’s a canyon up ahead! We’ll lose them there!”

They continued to race through the dunes, the terrible howls becoming louder and louder.

Onward the three ran—still the soldiers came closer. As they passed into the foothills, the ground became hard, and a path seemed to form. The dunes began to disappear. They ran through a narrow place in the path, forcing them to run in single file. All of a sudden, the path ended.

“I see it!” Rachel cried.

Indeed, a canyon rose from the foothills; nearly thirty feet wide and half again as deep. As they reached the edge, they skidded to a halt. A river flowed through the bottom, raging through the canyon floor.

“We need to get down there!” Ben roared.

“How? And if we jump, they’ll just see us!” Rachel cried.

“They won’t see you.” Caleb said quietly.

Ben and Rachel looked at him quizzically. “What do you mean?” Ben snarled.

“I mean—I’ll hold them off. It’ll give you enough time to reach the shore and hide before they see you.”

“What? Caleb—!”

“ _Go_! I’m already dead!”

The fox lifted his front left paw. Two small wounds appeared on his forearm.

“That blasted snake got me.”

Ben looked at Caleb in shock. “But— _no_! That’s _not_ an option! We’ll find another way, we’ll—”

“Ben.” Caleb walked up to the big wolf and looked him in his fierce, gleaming eyes. “You know there’s no other way.”

The big wolf stared at the fox, eyes blazing. He opened his mouth to argue further—then stopped, sighed and bowed his head.

“Caleb, _no_!” Rachel all but screamed, tears filling her eyes. “We can help you, we can—”

He smiled at her.

“It’s alright, sweetie—I’d have it no other way.” He came up and nuzzled her.

“It’s the least I can do. Live well, Rachel—you deserve more than this. And Ben,” he turned to the wolf, “I know we’ve had our differences, and I don’t know much about your past—but I’m glad I met you.” Ben hesitated a moment, then nodded.

Then the fox leaned in closer. “Save her, Ben—whatever it takes,” he whispered.

Then he turned away, preparing to face the oncoming soldiers. After a moment, he added, “Take care of my skull, eh?”

Then he ran towards his fate.

“Please, Caleb, _NO_!” Rachel screamed. She tried to run after him, but Ben grabbed her by her neck-scruff and dragged her away, still screaming, towards the cliff.

Then Ben hurled himself and Rachel off the edge of the canyon. They hit the rushing water with a _bang_ and struggled desperately to reach the shore.

As the soldiers came into view, Caleb smiled, standing in the narrow part of the path. The soldiers spotted him and howled all the louder. As they closed in, the fox crouched, his teeth bared. Right before they reached him, one thought crossed his mind: _I could really go for a mole right about now_.


	6. Reunion

Rachel looked at a flower that had sprung up in her path. She thought it odd—a flower in such a place as this. She looked up from the path to the pine trees above her. She stood, high up on a mountain face, the nearby wood growing nearly halfway up it, overshadowing the rocky, winding path.

They had left the horrific desert and entered the cool, green mountains almost two weeks ago—a much appreciated change to their desert surroundings. They would have been glad—except for the events of that terrible day.

When she tried to talk about it—about Caleb—Ben immediately changed the subject, growing angry when she persisted.

_He must have thought him a good friend_. _He’s not as horrible as I thought_ … _maybe_ , the young wolf mused.

Soon, snow began to appear on the path, trees began to disappear, and a grand view of the desert they had just traveled was revealed.

But they had no time to admire it—the path was rough and steep, requiring all their concentration. Eventually, after a hard trek upwards, they reached the summit.

Westward, the desert sprawled across the horizon. To the east—a vast mountain range, as far as the eye can see; the Great Flinties of the Midwest.

Rachel groaned. “We have to go through all of _that?_ ”

Ben shook his head. “There’s a path, an easier way through.”

“Really?”

Ben shrugged. “I don’t know where it is, however.”

“Then how—?”

“I know of one who knows where it is. A wolf—the leader of a settlement nearby. Frank Dukeson is his name.”

“ _Dukeson_? Is he—?”

“He’s my brother.”

“Your _brother_? I didn’t know you had a brother.”

“There wasn’t any reason for you to know.”

“Why does he live so far away from you?”

“Well—he _used_ to live nearby, years ago. Me and him had an argument—then he up and left.”

“What did you argue about?”

“He thought I was too controlling, too protective.”

“Were you?”

He stopped and looked back at her. “Probably.”

An irritated look passed over his face. “If it wasn’t for me, we would have been dead long ago. But pride is a powerful thing. Stronger than family, it would seem.”

“If he was mad enough to come _this_ far—why do you think he’ll help us?”

“I don’t.”

Rachel shuddered. “I hope he isn’t the type to hold a grudge.”

They slowly made their way down the mountain and entered a valley, filled with trees and a small brook running through it. They stopped by the brook and rested after their hard trek down. Rachel stooped down and began to drink the cool water.

Suddenly Ben stepped in front of her, his hackles raised. She looked at him in confusion, then to the opposite bank.

A yellow—haired wolf stood looking at them from across the brook.

“Hello. What brings you to the Flinty Mountains?” he said calmly, but with an underlying menace.

“We’re just passing through,” Ben said, equally as calm. “Do you know a wolf by the name of Frank Dukeson?”

The wolf took a step forward. Ben saw he was a young wolf, barely an adult.

“Yes, I do—he’s my Alpha.”

Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness, I thought we were going to have to search all over the mount—” Ben growled quietly, silencing her.

“What do you want with him?” The stranger asked.

“We need to use his path through the mountains eastward.”

“No one uses the Secret Path except the members of my pack,” the wolf said in an authoritative tone.

Ben chuckled. “I was part of Frank’s pack before you were born.”

For the first time, the wolf seemed unsure of himself. “What do you mean?”

“My name is Ben Dukeson—I think you can figure out the rest.”

The wolf stared at him for a second, then lifted his head and gave a short bark.

Suddenly the surrounding woods became alive with wolves of all shapes and sizes. They quickly surrounded the two travelers, their teeth bared. The first wolf leaped across the brook, face to face with Ben.

“If you’re lying, stranger—you die.”

Ben and Rachel sat near an arch of two giant trees that had fallen into each other, an escort of wolf guards surrounding them. Beyond, a rocky quarry sprawled for nearly half a mile.

The first wolf approached the arch, stepping slowly. “Hail, quarry!” he cried. “I have need of the Alpha!” Then he disappeared beyond the arch.

Rachel looked at the quarry beyond, chewing her lip. “I _really_ hope he doesn’t hold a grudge—”

“Quiet.” Ben muttered.

“ _What_?!”

A surprised yelp was heard from the quarry, then an older yellow—furred wolf bolted out from under the archway and stopped in shock. “Ben—?” the wolf whispered in a shocked voice. Then he ran toward them. “ _Ben_!”

The guards dispersed, revealing the two travelers.

When he saw the wolf, Ben smiled.

“Hello, Fr—”

Before he could finish his greeting, Frank knocked Ben clean off his feet.

“ _Ben!_ I can’t believe it! _Hahaha_!”

Despite himself, Ben laughed along with his younger brother, then managed to get out from under him.

“It’s been too long, Frank.”

“You’re telling me! It’s been, what, almost _two years?_ Let me look at you—” Frank stood back. “Wow—you got _old_.”

“Look who’s talking—is that some white hair on your ears I see?”

Frank laughed. “I guess. I’m sorry about Junior there—I recently put him on the Guard.”

“ _Your_ boy?”

The first wolf nodded to him; his initial tense air gone. “Sorry—Uncle Ben, but you can’t be too careful out here,” he said with a friendly smile.

“Yup! Named after his grandfather John!” Frank continued happily. “And, by golly, here comes the wife!”

A slender white wolf appeared from the archway. “Frank, is it really—”

“Yes, it is, darlin’! Ben, meet the missus—Vera.”

Ben shook his head in wonder, then nodded to the white wolf. “How do you do, ma’am—Frank, I can’t believe you got married. And with a son, too—”

“Well—” Frank nuzzled his wife, “if you meet someone as fine looking as Vera—and _wow_ do I mean _fine_! One time, I c— _oof_!

Vera elbowed him in the ribs. “Frank Dukeson, watch your mouth.”

“Yes—dear,” Frank gasped. “And who’s this lovely young lady?”

“I’m Rachel—Rachel Birch,” the young wolf said, smiling. In fact, she hasn’t stopped smiling during the whole reunion. _I can’t believe it—he_ can _smile_ , she thought incredulously.

“What are we standing out here for?” Frank suddenly cried. “You must be exhausted. Come in, come in! We’re about to have dinner!”

As they walked underneath the arch, Rachel stood a moment, allowing the others to enter before her. A tear glistened in her eye as she thought of Caleb. _He would have been so happy—_ she thought wistfully.

“Are you okay, Miss?” She turned to see Frank’s son John standing underneath the archway.

“Yeah—I’m okay,” she whispered. Then she joined him under the archway and entered the quarry.


	7. A Story

Frank took them to a large cave in the quarry, where most of the pack had gathered already. There were scores of wolves of all shapes and sizes—but all seemed healthy and happy.

“My friends!” Frank cried over the hubbub. The noise promptly died down.

“We have a visitor in our midst, a guest of the highest order—my own big brother, Ben Dukeson!”

The wolves immediately broke out in raucous cheers.

“But enough delay— _let’s eat_!”

“I gotta say, Frank—you turned out better than anyone would’ve believed.”

Frank laughed, replying between mouthfuls of venison, “Including myself! When I left almost three years ago, I didn’t have one inkling of a plan—I was almost killed the very day, _haha_! During my travels, I joined with many of the wolves you see here, including my darling Vera. _Ha,_ without her I would’ve given up the first week. By the time I arrived here, I had gathered such a large number of wolves I decided to start my own pack—with Vera’s prompting, of course. After a year in this beautiful, bountiful place, the pack has grown nearly thrice fold. And I’ve been here ever since.”

Ben shook his head. “And there I was, holding you back. Frank, I’m sorry, I had no idea—”

“ _Oooh—oh_ no you don’t!” Frank cried sharply. “You were just doing your best—that’s the most any of us can do, ain’t it?”

Ben smiled. “Thank you, Frank.”

“Ben, you and Rachel are welcome to stay as long as you like.” Vera said warmly.

“Yes!” Frank cried excitedly. “From what it sounds like, you won’t be missing much back on the West coast!”

Ben sighed. “I really would like to, Frank, but I have a prior engagement to fulfill before I can.”

“What is it?”

“Rachel—I’m taking her to the east coast to meet with her sister.”

“Who’s her sister?”

“Eve Birch.”

Frank nearly choked on a bite of meat.

“ _What_? That old b—” Frank cringed as Vera snapped at him. “ _Frank_! Rachel’s right here!”

“Sorry, dear—why in the world would you make a deal with _her_?”

“Seemed like a good idea at the time—”

“Wow—you must’ve been pretty desperate.”

“I mean—me and Caleb—”

“Caleb! The fox, right?” he turned to Vera, “only creature ever who can beat me at tracking. How is the little shit?”

“He’s dead.”

Frank’s smile disappeared. “Oh—Fuck, I’m sorry Ben. How long has it been?”

“Two weeks, give or take.”

“Pred’s?”

“Soldiers.”

“ _Gah_!” Frank growled. “Those fucking—how’d you and Rachel escape, then?”

“ _Frank_!” Vera snarled. “Look what you are doing—Rachel is in tears, the poor girl.” Vera moved over to Rachel and took her aside.

Frank cringed. “Shit. I’ve really got to work on that.”

Ben chuckled. “You were never one to spare feelings.”

“Haha, I guess you’re right—so the Riders, eh? I heard they’re a nasty bunch.”

Ben shrugged. “Can’t be worse than anything I’ve dealt with.”

“I’ll say! Remember the time we got lost in that swamp?”

Ben chuckled at the memory. “You actually began to cry when you saw that log and thought it was an alligator.”

“Hey! That log was _very_ bumpy.” The brothers chuckled for a bit, then Frank sighed.

“Well Ben—I want you to know—it's really great to have a big brother again.”

Ben nodded. “Thanks, Frank.”

About three days later, Rachel sat alone in the cave Vera had given to her, adjacent to her and Frank’s. She looked out at the quarry and saw many young wolf cubs running around, playing various games. She smiled.

“Wonder what that’s like.”

“Miss Birch?” John appeared at the cave mouth.

“Yes?”

“Ma—Vera wants you up at the dining cave. Something about meat storage.”

“Oh, yes! I almost forgot.” Rachel started to exit the cave.

“Oh, and another thing—”

“Yes?” Rachel looked at him.

“I was wondering—um—d—do you fish?” he stuttered.

“Fish? No, I never have.”

“Oh! Well then, um, I was wondering if you—yourself, I mean, um—would you like to? Go fishing, I mean. Maybe tomorrow morning?”

Rachel looked at John more closely, a smile spreading across her face.

“Um—yes, I’d love too.”

“Y-yes? Oh, _alright_! I’ll come get you at the crack of dawn—that’s when they come out to eat.”

“I’ll be ready!”

“Alright! See you then!” The young wolf trotted away. Once he was out of sight, he joyfully jumped into the air, suppressing the urge to howl.

Rachel smiled to herself. “John—that’s a nice name.”

After talking with Vera for about an hour, Rachel went back to her cave. By this time, it was late afternoon.

“Rachel—a moment of your time!” Frank hailed her from his cave entrance.

“Of course!”

He welcomed her into the large cave and sat down on a mat made of rushes.

“Now, I understand that you and Ben will be leaving here quite soon.”

Rachel sighed. “I’m afraid so—but I love it here so much! Everyone is wonderful and it feels so safe and secluded.”

“Yes—I did a good job, didn’t I? But since you're leaving here so soon, I wanted you to have something—” Frank got up and went to the corner of the cave, returning with something in his mouth. He dropped it in front of Rachel.

It was a necklace made of golden hair and a small blue, shimmering stone.

“Vera made this for if we had a daughter. But, since we didn’t, we thought you should have it.”

Rachel stared at the necklace in delight.

“Oh—my—” she then scooped it up with her nose and slipped it over her head. “It’s beautiful! Thank you so much.”

Frank shook his head, smiling. “You’re so much like Rose, it’s incredible—”

“Who’s Rose?”

Frank looked at her blankly. “Do you not know—” He paused, then sighed heavily. “Of course. Ben would never tell anyone of her, I think I'm one of the only creatures living who knows about her—Rose was Ben’s daughter.”

“He had a daughter?”

“Yes, a long time ago.”

“What happened to her?”

“She—she was killed in the first attacks.”

“Oh—”

“He took it pretty badly. I was with him when she died—” Frank stopped a moment, tears welling up in his eyes.

“Ben loved her—more than life—so when she died, he seeked to die himself. For almost two years, he recklessly threw himself at any Predator—and when the Citadels were set up, soldier—without any thought to his life, trying desperately to die. I don’t know if it was through luck, or something else, but instead of dying, he became the most feared creature on the west coast.”

Then Frank looked at the ground.

“He became so bloodthirsty, so hard, so— _cruel_.”

Frank hesitated for a moment, then looked up at Rachel. “Rose was just about your age.”

Rachel looked at Frank, tears welling up in her eyes. He continued, a lighter tone coming into his voice. “But—I’ve noticed something about Ben. He is so much—I dunno, less angry then I last saw him. It might be the passage of time, but he’s much—lighter of heart, I guess y—”

“I’m so sorry.” Rachel interrupted suddenly.

“What do you mean? There’s nothing to be sorry about.”

“But—I’ve treated him so horribly, I didn’t know—”

“There’s no way you could’ve known.”

Rachel suddenly got up. “I have to speak to him—”

“That’s not wise—he’ll probably kill you for asking about it, then me for telling you.”

“I don’t care, I’m not afraid of him.”

“You should be. I’d better come with you—”

“No—I’ll talk to him myself.”

The sun had begun to sink westward beyond the trees when Rachel found Ben. He was sitting on a tall outcrop of rocks on the western side of the quarry.

As Rachel approached, she noticed he wasn’t alone. A small cub, no more than two months old, sat with the old wolf, solemnly watching the sunset.

Ben turned and noticed Rachel walking up.

“This cub followed me up here,” the old wolf said wearily. “I have no idea how he even managed to climb all the way up here.” Despite his words, his mouth held the ghost of a smile.

Although she was almost choking on her nervousness, Rachel smiled at the sight.  
  
“Go along, little one—I need to speak with old grumpy.”

The cub looked up at her with bright green eyes. Then he began to make his way down the outcrop.

Rachel sat down beside Ben and took a deep breath. _I didn’t think I would be this nervous—_

“So, I was talking with Frank—and, um—he gave me a necklace—”

“Did it have a blue stone?”

“Yes, how—?”

“I gave him that stone a long time ago. I can’t believe he carried it all this way—”

“Ben.”

He looked at her questioningly.

She breathed in once again.

“—I know. About Rose, about the attack—I know.”

Ben turned away quickly. For a moment, he stood silent, glaring at the ground. Then he spoke.

“ _Really._ ”

His voice sounded like claws scraping ice. “ _Frank_ told you? That double-crossing—”

Suddenly he straightened.

“What does it matter what you know?” he said, forcing his voice to become lighter. “It happened so long ago, no need to—”

“Ben, stop. I don’t want to hurt you more; I just want to apologize—”

“For _what_?” he rasped.

“For not understanding. I didn’t kn—”

“It wasn’t for you to know,” he growled. “It’s none of your concern.”

“Please, I didn’t—”

“ _Enough_!” he roared, finally breaking. The quarry echoed with his cry. “ _I don’t care what you did or didn’t know_!”

All of a sudden, Rachel broke as well.

“I’m trying to _understand_ , Ben! You get so angry over my _concern_? Do you have any _sense_?”

“I have no need for your pity!”

“It’s not _pity_ , you horrible monster! I’m just trying to apologize—!”

Ben took a step forward, cutting her off. His eyes blazed with sorrow and fury. “Y-you insolent— _child_! I’ve had it with you, always asking, always sticking your nose where it doesn’t fucking belong! Have one of Frank’s guards take you to the coast, I’m _done_!”

Rachel stood her ground. Her voice softened.

“I know you well enough to know you would actually do that—”

“Then _bully for you_!” He roared. “I’ll go back to the west, away from double-crossing brothers and nosy little shits, where I’ll hopefully _die,_ away from this fucking _hell_ we call our world! _Goodbye_ , Miss Birch!” He then began to storm down the outcrop.

Rachel stood in shock. Then she suddenly screamed “That’s right, _leave_! Like everyone else!”

Ben rolled his eyes so violently he almost slipped and fell from the outcrop.

“ _Oh_ , you're gonna try guilt, _ha_! Don’t waste your breath!”

“ _Fuck_ yeah I am!” she shouted with tears in her eyes, “because it’s true! _Everyone_ has left me! My own parents, even my own _sister_ , have abandoned me! _Everyone_! Everyone—except for _you_!”

Tears began to stream down her face.

“And now, y—you’re the only one I feel _safe_ with!”

She sat down, sobbing “And if you want to leave me, then _do it_! _Go ahead_!”

Ben watched her silently, his expression becoming softer.

She glared down at him through her tears. “ _Go_! What are you waiting for! _Fucking_ go! _GOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAH_!!!”

After the echoes died away, they stood staring at each other in silence, trying to read each other’s faces.

After a moment, Ben turned and flung himself down the outcrop, heading toward the center of the quarry, leaving Rachel to weep in solitude.

Vera was preparing to exit her cave to go find Rachel again when she heard Ben’s voice explode from the rocks to the east.

“ _Frank_!”

The white wolf looked out of the cave entrance.

“Dear, Ben is calling f—”

“Don’t tell him I’m here!” Frank whispered hoarsely. He began to head towards the back entrance of the cave.

“Why ever not?”

“Vera, if what I think happened actually happened, I’m pretty sure he didn’t take it very well—”

“ _Frank_!”

Ben arrived at the cave entrance. Frank began to exit the cave.

“Ben,” Vera said cordially, “whatever is the—”

Ben brushed past her, immediately seeing Frank at the far side of the cave. Frank yelped and began to run—but not fast enough. Ben grabbed him by the leg and dragged him back. Then he stood over his brother, a snarl twisting his face.

“ _You told her_?”

“I—we—you—”

“ _YOU HAD NO RIGHT_!”

His roar rebounded off of the cave walls.

“ _Ben_!” Vera cried sharply. “What is the meaning of this?”

“This is none of your concern!” Ben snarled at her.

“Actually, it _kinda_ is—” Frank muttered.

Ben looked down at him in incredulous fury.

“You told _her too_?! Did you go and tell the whole _fucking_ _pack?_!” Ben all but screamed.

“She’s my _wife_ , Ben! And Rachel deserved to know why you’re such a nasty creature!”

Ben growled until his throat began to hurt. Frank continued, tentatively.

“She is just worried, for c—”

“ _I don’t need you’re fucking pity_!” Ben stepped over Frank and slashed at the wall so furiously that sparks flew from his claws.

“I can’t _stand_ her anymore. She’s too—she’s so— _ARRRRRGH!”_

Ben sat down, breathing heavily. He growled once more, then calmed himself. “I don’t care what I have to do, but—I need you to take her to the east. I’ll reimburse you, of course—”

“ _ME_?!” Frank cried. “This whole operation was _you’re_ doing!”

“This was really Caleb’s idea, for one. Second, I wouldn’t have come to the Flinties unless I needed to—”

“ _What_?! You mean to tell me that you came here _just to ditch her_?! That’s low, Dukeson, even for you!”

“I wasn’t planning on it the _whole_ way—when Caleb was killed, I figured that you or one of your guards could handle it better than me.”

Frank shook his head in disbelief. “Did you even think of what Rachel wants?”

“I don’t care—I’m leaving for the west in the morning.”

“I don’t believe that you don’t care, Ben—in fact, I think it’s just the opposite.”

Ben glared at him, but Frank continued boldly.

“You care _too_ much for her to just dump her somewhere—you’re _afraid_ of losing her—”

“Shut _up_ , Frank!” Ben snarled, baring his teeth.

“Face it, Ben! You think o—”

“ _Attack_! Intruders at the arch!” A cry rang out from the quarry.

Immediately the quarrel was forgotten. They all rushed out of the cave, not noticing Rachel hidden in the shrubbery by the cave entrance.

Frank hailed a sentry running from the archway. “Who is it? ‘Preds?”

“Yes, four of them! Ten dires, a grizzly and a tiger!” The wolf cried; his eyes glazed over in fear.

Frank climbed a path that led to the roof of his cave. Once he reached the top, he roared at the top of his lungs. “ _Wolves_! _Listen to me_!”

Most of the wolves looked his way.

“We know exactly what to do—so _act like it_! John! Get the cubs and elders into the safe house, then meet me by the arch! Garett! Harley! Rally the warriors and do the same! _GO_!”

Immediately the quarry became a hive of activity. Frank descended from his perch. “I don’t know if we can hold them—”

“ _Ha_!” Ben scoffed, despite himself. “If you think _that’s_ bad, it’s a miracle you survived the first fucking night!” he roared. Then he bolted toward the arch. Frank shook his head. “Always happy when there’s a fight—”

Suddenly Rachel ran up to his side. “I will fight as well!”

Frank shook his head. “No way! You are way too young!”

“I wasn’t asking permission,” she growled. Frank looked at her angrily, opening his mouth to argue further, then turned away stiffly.

“So be it.”


	8. Battle of the Arch

In no time at all, the main force of the pack’s fighters, about seventy-five wolves, were at the archway, watching the twelve monsters’ approach from the west. When they were about fifty feet from the archway, the beasts stopped.

By now, the sun had almost set.

Frank and Rachel arrived just as the largest of the dire wolves began to advance alone. Frank joined Ben at the front of the archway.

“They want to speak?”

“It would seem.”

“But why? They never want to speak, and they have to know they’re greatly outnumbered, what could they possibly w—”

“Guess we’re about to find out.”

The giant wolf stopped a short way from the arch. He stood head and shoulders taller than the largest of Frank’s warriors, his fur pitch black, with a silver mark on his forehead.

He stood, silently watching, his huge form outlined by the dying sunlight.

Then he spoke.

“We have no quarrel with you” he growled, his voice was deep and hoarse. “We are searching for one called _Dukeson_.”

“I am him.” Frank answered. “That means you indeed have a quarrel with me.”

“No—you are not he. The one we seek is silver, his body scarred, and his countenance speaks of one who loves death.” The monster lifted an enormous, gnarled claw toward Ben. “Are _you_ Dukeson?”

Ben stepped forward.

“I am, _demon_.” Ben’s eyes began to cloud over.

The wolf simply smiled. “We have traveled far to find you.”

“Well, here I am.”

The wolf licked his chops. “You have killed many of my comrades. You have become a loathsome thorn in the side of my kind.”

Then he lifted his huge, scarred head.

“You, _brother_ of Dukeson! We simply want the _Occisor_ , the killer, handed over. We don’t want a fight—we want amends,” he said, addressing Frank.

Frank opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, Ben leapt forward, his eyes glazed red.

“Then come and _get me_ , you punk _bitch_!”

“Ben, _NO_!”

But Frank’s cry fell on deaf ears. Ben charged the dire wolf, roaring in his fury.

The wolf, surprised at first, snarled and began to charge as well.

“ _Die, Occisor!_ ” the monster bellowed, the sound grating upon the ears of all who heard it.

Frank snarled in frustration, then turned to his fighters.

“Prepare for battle! And wait for my signal!”

Both sides watched as the two wolves rapidly closed the distance between each other.

Closer and closer they came, their howls becoming louder and louder—

Then, just as the sun dipped below the mountains, they collided with a terrible sound of slashing, roaring and barking.

So furious was Ben’s charge that he actually forced the monster back, the dire wolf backing off in surprise.

Before the black beast could react further, Ben attacked again, gripping the side of his foe’s neck in his fangs.

The dire wolf roared in fury and began to buck and rear in an attempt to get Ben off its neck. But no matter what it did, Ben hung on grimly, swaying with the beast’s motions.

Then, just as the beast prepared to buck again, Ben suddenly let go.

The monster bucked and flung itself head over heels, slamming itself into the ground at the sudden loss of weight. Before it recovered, Ben was at his throat, slashing and tearing.

The wolf lay there for a few moments, stunned, before it found the strength to kick Ben away.

Ben landed a few yards away, immediately getting to his feet. He curled his lip into a triumphant snarl as he watched the beast struggle to stand. Shaking his head in pain, the black wolf steadied its body, focusing his yellow eyes on Ben. It took a step toward him and then collapsed, blood trickling from its torn throat. Then it lay still.

The battle’s witnesses stood in shocked silence. The entire encounter had lasted less than a minute.

Ben lifted his head to the rapidly darkening sky and howled in victory. As he did so, lightning struck the far side of the quarry, illuminating the night. Rain began to fall, slowly at first, then speeding into a downpour.

The remaining Predators recovered from their shock and bellowed in fury.

“Stand ready!” Frank cried. His wolves prepared to charge, their many voices converging together so that they sounded like distant thunder.

Ben glared at his enemies through the rain. “ _Who’s next_!” he roared, then began to laugh maniacally, the sound grating through the night like a bell. His eyes gleamed red, so much so that they could be seen clearly through the heavy rain.

First the tiger charged, then the bear and wolves followed suite, tearing through the heavy rain.

“ _Now_! _Attaaaaaack_!” Frank shouted, his cry rebounding through the trees.

The wolves surged forward with a mighty roar.

Ben’s eyes never left the charging beasts as Frank’s wolves rushed past him, spraying mud and water as they ran.

The two sides met with a thunderous crash, just as a bolt of lightning struck a tree not half a mile west.

Rachel found herself hemmed in on all sides by Frank’s wolves. She struggled to break free, all the while trying to catch a glimpse of their foes, but to no avail.

She was crying out in frustration when suddenly the wolves to her right disappeared. She looked up to find herself face to face with the tiger.

Its round, flat face gleamed with the rain, yellow eyes glaring out from it. When it saw her, it cocked its head in bewilderment, then let loose a roar louder than Rachel thought possible.

Rachel then saw its right paw coming down towards her head with deadly speed and leaped out of the way. Escaping by a tiny margin, she scurried behind the beast. The tiger looked around, confused. Then it screamed in fury as Rachel sank her teeth into its back leg. Almost immediately she was kicked away, stunned. She shook her head to clear it, but when she looked up, she beheld the monster leaping toward her, its mouth twisted in a silent roar.

She hurriedly backed up, avoiding the beast’s wild swings. Unable to land a hit on her, it screamed in frustration and drew its limbs beneath its body to propel itself forward.

But it never left the ground.

As it jumped, almost thirty new wolves charged from the forest to the west, slamming into the tiger’s left side. The beast was killed in seconds.

_A pincer attack!_ Rachel thought excitedly. _They really did think this through—_

An enormous _thump_ startled her from her reverie.

The bear had swung its mighty forearm into the midst of the wolves, sending six of them into the air. Before they had a chance to retreat out of the beast’s range, once again it slammed its claws into the milling crowd, connecting with five more.

The monster lifted its giant head and bellowed a terrible challenge. The remaining dire wolves appeared behind it, using the bear’s mass as a shield.

“Surround them!” Frank cried. But before they could, the bear turned and furiously rammed through the barricade of wolves. Making it to the outside, the giant beast immediately began to charge toward the now empty archway.

“He’s trying to breach the quarry!” Frank screamed, struggling to reach the charging behemoth. “Stop him!”

The wolves began to pursue him, but to no avail, as the monster was too big and moving too fast to be stopped.

But, as it was paying attention to the wolves at its sides, the bear didn’t see Ben race toward it from the front until it was too late.

Ben skid to a stop a few feet away from the charging bear and managed to sink his teeth into its soft nose. Taken by surprise, the bear roared in pain and turned sharply to rid itself of the mind-numbing agony of Ben’s attack. The maneuver forced it into the ground, grinding its face into the mud.

Before it got to its feet, almost a score of wolves were upon it, ripping and tearing it to pieces. It managed to get an arm free, slashing once at its assailants, before succumbing to their attack with a withering cry.

The remaining dire wolves screamed in fury before they were set upon by Frank’s warriors. Despite their strength and savagery, they were no match for the scores of wolves that began to tear them apart.

Rachel stared at the carnage a little way off, her mind in a confused clutter, unaware of the last remaining dire wolf silently approaching her until it was too late.

She screamed as it brutally sank its teeth into her shoulder, dragging her backwards into the woods, away from the battle. She struggled furiously, but that only made the wolf bite deeper.

Rachel’s mind began to swim from the pain, the world began to dim. Then, just as she was passing out, the dire wolf stiffened with fear at a sound behind it. Not bothering to see what it was, it yelped and bolted, disappearing into the forest.

Rachel, grinding her teeth in pain, watched as Ben sped past her, hot on the beast’s trail. She saw his eyes gleaming red as he disappeared into the rain. Then she looked at her shoulder. It felt hot and glistened with some liquid. She couldn’t tell if it was from the rain or from blood.

She looked up to see Frank running toward her.

“Rachel! Are you alright? _Rachel_!”

She looked at him in confusion, unable to make sense of what he was saying. Then the ground rushed up to meet her and she remembered no more.

_Don’t patronize me, Ben—I do what I must, as do you._

Rachel looked on in horror as Ben lay helpless before the jaws of a massive, furless monster she had never seen or heard of before. It wavered at the edge of her vision, making it nearly impossible to see. She screamed for it to stop, but to no avail.

_My quarrel isn’t with you—Goodbye, Mr. Dukeson, your sacrifice will not be in vain,_ the speaker continued.

Rachel turned to see who the speaker was. She couldn’t see its face, though something about it seemed familiar—

Then she looked back as the creature opened its mighty jaws to devour Ben.

Rachel shrieked as it lunged forward—

Then everything went black. Rachel cried out once more as the ground disappeared and she fell into a shapeless void.

As she fell through the blackness, she had a single horrible, impossible thought—

_I led him to die. On purpose. I led him to die! I led him to die! I led him to diiiiiiieee—_

“Rachel! _Rachel_! Wake up!”

Rachel awoke with a pained cry. She found herself in her cave, lying on her bed. Sunlight flooded the small space.

She looked up at Vera, who was at her side.

“W-What happened? Where am I?”

“You’re safe,” Vera answered calmly. “You’ve been asleep for two days.”

“ _Two days_! How? Why?”

“Frank brought you here after the battle. You were feverish and wounded. I’ve done all I could, but you’re going to be rather sore for a little while yet.”

Rachel grimaced as she tried to move her shoulder. It was wrapped in some sort of odd, white substance. She thought it might be a root of some kind.

“Where’s Ben?”

“He disappeared during the battle—most likely to hunt down the remaining wolf.”

“He hasn’t returned?”

“I’m afraid not.” Vera smiled at Rachel’s grim expression. “Don’t worry about him—he’s strong. He’ll be back soon.”

Rachel laid back down onto her bed.

“Yeah—sure,” she said bitterly.

“What do you mean?”

“I heard everything—about him wanting to dump me with you and Frank and return to the west. He won’t be coming back” the young wolf said, her voice breaking despite her anger.

“Don’t say that. He wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye, at least.” Vera said softly.

Rachel laughed mirthlessly.

“You don’t know him like I do.”

Rachel sat at the base of the outcrop, her countenance dark. It was a day since she had woken up from her grievous slumber.

_What did I do, that he would just abandon me?_ she wondered. _And what will I do now that he’s gone_?

She growled in frustration.

A pair of wolves rushed by, carrying herbs in their jaws, racing towards the central cavern where they had eaten their first day at the quarry. For the past three days, it had served as a hospital for the many wounded fighters. Many weren’t as lucky.

Rachel sighed, then turned to make her way back to her small, isolated cave.

All of a sudden, a cry rang out from the west side. “Hail quarry! Wolf approaching from the west!”

Frank and John rushed past Rachel and joined the archway guard at the entrance.

She stood a little way behind them, watching from the shade of the one and only tree in the quarry.

The wolf arrived at the arch, stopping to catch its breath in front of Frank and John.

Frank stepped forward, eyeing the wolf. It was covered in mud and leaves, to the point of absurdity.

“Identify yourself!” Frank said sharply.

The wolf sat down hard and glared at Frank.

“ _Whaddyamean 'identify yourself'_?!’” the wolf roared in fury.

Frank took a step back, then looked at the wolf even more closely.

“ _Ben_? Is that _you_?”

“No, I’m a freakin’ lizard! _Or course it's me!!!”_

“Oh— _hahahahaha!_ You’re so covered in muck I didn’t recognize you!”

“Are you sure it wasn’t the muck in that thick _skull_ of yours? _Get me food_! I haven’t eaten in three days! And half of that was in a thrice-blasted _swamp_!”

“ _Hahaha,_ alright, alright! John, get some venison from the stores, would you? I’ll take the swamp monster to bathe—though it’ll probably ruin the stream altogether.”

Ben followed the still laughing Frank sullenly.

Rachel watched, unnoticed by anyone. With a sigh, she stalked into her cave, then sat down and ground her teeth in distress.

_So, he’s back—why? Why did he come back?_ she thought miserably _. If only he just left for good_.

“Hey, Missy.”

Rachel started. She was lying on her bed, having dozed off. She blinked the sleep out of her eyes.

“Rachel.”

She looked toward the cave entrance. Ben was standing there, having come in while she slept.

She turned away. “You’re back,” she said quietly.

“Yup.”

He seemed ill at ease, almost—nervous.

After a moment, Rachel turned to look at him.

“Did you catch him?”

“Yeah, I caught him when he got stuck in a swamp.”

“Oh.”

She stepped out from her bed and went to a small indent towards the back of the cave. A small bit of meat had been put there for her. She began to eat it, ignoring Ben.

He sniffed, then stepped closer.

“Listen—what I said was, um—” He sighed. “Frank told me that you heard our—conversation. I just think it’s better—y’know, because I’m such a fuckin'—while you—”

She remained stubbornly silent.

He continued, fumbling his words. “Someone else—would, um—would do a much better job than me—”

Rachel whirled on him suddenly.

“Why did you come back?”

Ben hesitated a moment. “Um, well, I thought—”

“Why didn’t you just go back? You are, aren’t you? Going back? Then _leave_. I can get there without you.” she snapped, then began to walk out of the cave.

Ben didn’t move as she passed him. When she reached the cave mouth, she stopped and looked back.

When he didn’t turn around, she caught back a sob and ran away as fast as she could.

Ben sighed again, then left the cave himself.

_What the hell's wrong with me_ , he thought bitterly _. I really am the fuckin' worst_.

Rachel sat at eastern entrance of the quarry on a small, flat hill, the sun beginning to rise from behind the Flinty mountains. Frank, Vera and John stood beside her.

“Goodbye, Rachel.” Frank said. “It truly was a gift having you around.”

Vera joined his side. “We really wish you could stay longer.”

“So do I.” Rachel smiled. Frank and Vera stepped back as John stepped forward. “It really was a pleasure, Rachel.” He said, a note of sadness in his voice.

She smiled at him. “I really enjoyed fishing. I didn’t know it was so fun.”

He smiled. “I’ll be waiting eagerly for your return.”

She dipped her head. “So will I.”

They stood a moment, watching each other’s eyes. Then John turned and joined his parents. Frank smirked at his son, then turned to Rachel. “I have chosen a very reliable guard to guide you through the mountains. He’s one of my best, from the vanguard, in fact.”

Rachel looked down, shaking slightly, then tried her best to muster up a smile.

“Thank you.”

“He’ll meet with you in a few minutes. Goodbye, Miss Birch! May you never see sorrow.”

Then they left her to wait and watch the dawn's first light.

After a while, she heard someone approach from behind her.

“Now listen,” she said without turning around, “I won’t have you doting on my every move. You’ll give me adequate space and leave me be.”

“That seems kinda cold,” a deep, hoarse voice muttered.

She spun around.

Ben scratched an ear lazily, watching her with a spark of amusement in his eyes.

“Can I at least share a kill or two?”

Despite herself, she smiled. “Only if I get the first bite.”

“Seems fair enough to me.”

He walked up beside her. She gazed up at him, still smiling. He looked down at her—and a ghost of a smile appeared on his face.

Then they began the last part of their journey—and the last moment they would feel truly safe for a long time.


	9. The Citadel

Ben sat, looking at an endless expanse of grasslands that sprawled to the eastward horizon from the edge of the foothills. He sighed with relief. _We made it_ , he thought happily. _We defeated the Flinties_.

It had taken them almost a month, but they had, indeed, made it to the eastern side of the cold, desolate Flinty Mountains.

Rachel walked up beside him, blinking in the noontide sun.

“Oooooh my _fucking fuck!_ ” she moaned. “We actually made it! _Whooooooo_!!” she howled, her cry echoing through the mountains behind them. “I never thought I’d see anything but a mountain for the rest of my life!”

Ben shook himself. “Now, listen here, Missy! Why must you insist on saying absurd things? Now because I’m way too tired of trying to decipher every stupid thing you say, remember; only say wha—”

“‘Only say what you mean, and mean what you say’, yeah, I’ve heard, about a hundred times” Rachel muttered.

Ben growled in annoyance. “Well then act like you’ve heard it.” He turned to look at the east once more. “Let’s continue—we’ll stop when we’ve reached that swath of trees.”

“What trees?”

“Those trees.” He pointed to a tiny blot on the horizon.

“I thought that was a weed patch!” she cried in disbelief. “ _Uuuungh_ —”

He ignored her groaning and began to walk briskly down from the foothills. She growled, knowing that argument was futile, then followed him reluctantly.

_I’m gonna die of a shit ton of blisters before a Predator attack,_ she thought sourly.

Hours later, Rachel trudged through the long, dry grass, exhausted. However, she was relieved now that the sun was beginning to dip below the Flinties behind them.

All of a sudden, Ben stopped. She didn’t notice until she heard him call from behind her.

“What?” she snapped back at him.

“—I’ve made a mistake.”

She walked back over to him. “What do you mean?”

“That swath of trees—they’re not trees.”

Her eyes widened, then she turned to look east. “They’re not?”

“No—they’re pillars of stone.”

“Pillars of stone? Then that could only mean—” she gasped. “No—it isn’t—”

“Yes, it is. The Eastern Citadel.”

Rachel growled in disbelief. “But—how? How did we even manage to get within a hundred miles of it?”

“I thought it was more south—guess I was wrong.”

“Well—what are we gonna do?”

Ben thought for a moment. “Well—normally I would try to stay as far away from that place as possible. But—we do need information—”

Rachel blanched. “Surely you don’t want to _go there_?!”

“We need information on the Riders if we’re ever going to find them. Besides—if we’re careful, and _smart_ —”

Rachel sat down with a look of defeat. “The one thing I was taught growing up was never, _ever_ go to the Citadel. But _ha_! Who am I kidding? I’m only the little sister of a _rebellion leader_ , what do I know?” she muttered as she began to lie down in the grass.

Ben lifted his head, scanned the surrounding prairie, then laid down as well. The sun disappeared below the westward mountains behind them.

Ben closed his eyes, listening to the grass rustle in the evening breeze.

“We’ll arrive tomorrow at noon.”

“How did the pillars come to be?” Rachel asked.

It was late the next morning, and the Citadel was much nearer, revealing the immense size of the stone pillars that made up the perimeter of the settlement.

“No one knows,” Ben answered. “Some say they were always there; others say that some bygone, more advanced civilization built them.”

Rachel pondered this for a moment. “What do you think?”

Ben hesitated, thinking. “I—honestly don’t care.”

“Hmm.”

After a while, Ben stopped and faced Rachel.

“Now listen closely; the Citadels are a horrible place, a hellhole of the scum and scrapings of this world. The soldiers only live for self-gain and to further the will of the King, and the others who live there are much the same—you _must_ stay close and do as I say.”

Rachel nodded. “I know.”

“Good.”

They continued walking.

“Have you ever been to a Citadel before?” Rachel asked after a bit.

“Once—it's a memory that I’d rather not delve into. All that you need to know is that many died that night— _many_. That's why we _must_ be so careful—they’re still looking for me.”

The great stone pillars loomed out of the prairie, casting a shadow upon Rachel and Ben as they approached.

Rachel looked in apprehensive awe at the monolithic structures, rising fifty feet into the sky and twenty feet wide. They encased an area of almost 10 square miles, providing a defensive barrier that kept most out—but not all.

As she craned her neck to look upwards, a voice rang out from the two closest pillars.

“ _Belaaay_! _Who comes from the plains of the West_?”

A company of twenty soldiers stepped from the surrounding area and blocked their way. Ben gave Rachel a warning look, then faced the lead wolf.

“We are just travelers, coming from the Flinty Mountains to visit the East.”

The lead wolf glared at them through an incredibly bushy mat of hair that hung over his eyes. “Hmm—” he growled after a moment. “And why should I believe you?”

Ben glared back, stepping closer.

“Because I said so.”

The wolf bristled. “You _dare_! I’ll have y—”

“Oh c’mon, Harley—they’re not rebels, anyone can see that,” a wolf cried from the crowd of soldiers.

“ _Quiet_ , York! And how do you figure?” Harley snarled.

“They always come in pairs of wolves about the same age and size, are brash and violent, and never come to the front gate—These two are respectable, for the most part, and marched right up to the front!”

“Also,” the one called York continued, “don’t forget that we are to keep all non—rebel visitors alive, to tell of their travels at the Tavern. You wouldn't want to risk disobeying the Governor, _would_ you?”

The leader turned and glared murderously at York. “Stupid, weird rules,” he muttered. “Who comes up with these—” Then he looked back at Ben.

“Step lightly, stranger—I’ll be watching every move you make.”

“You’d be an idiot not to,” Ben retorted.

The soldiers parted as Ben and Rachel walked through them.

“I thought you said be careful.” Rachel whispered.

“ _Careful_ , not timid. You have to assert yourself over these idiots” Ben answered.

They walked past a gap in the pillars that made the entrance and into the noisy and crowded entrance of the Eastern Citadel.

Almost fifty wolves milled around the area just behind the gap, some talking, others arguing, some just hurrying from one place to another. They continued from the entrance and beheld the rest of the city.

Structures rose from the dirt floor, made of dirt and stone. They appeared to be used for living spaces, small homes for the many families that lived there. Those who hadn’t a home camped around the perimeter, close to the pillars, in small groups. The structures were placed in such a way that created streets, alleys and walkways, honeycombing the majority of the city. Toward the other end of the perimeter, a larger stone structure rose, high above the rest of the city. A small lake appeared in the middle, also with guards posted around it.

_They can’t even get water freely_ , Rachel thought with a shudder.

The sun bore down upon them as they made their way through the city, the guards following close behind. Soon they arrived at the lake, skirting around it. Near the lake, wolves looked on, a wild look in their eyes, waiting to be allowed to drink from it. Rachel tried to avoid looking at them, her insides churning with anger and confusion. _Why_? _Why must it be this way?_

An hour passed before they arrived at the large stone structure. They entered a courtyard, spanning before the gaping entrance of the building. The guards posted around it gave them a wary look before stepping aside, allowing the travelers and their escorts to pass. As they entered a narrow corridor, Rachel noticed two things; that it was very noisy, and it was somehow lit up with an unnatural light.

They entered a large room. Soldiers were everywhere, laughing and shouting, sleeping and fighting. They were high up on ledges and in many smaller rooms joining the larger one.

But the thing that caught Ben and Rachel’s eyes was the huge pit in the middle of the room, from whence came the light. Upon looking into it, Rachel gasped. It was a bubbling pocket of magma, rolling and pitching in the pit.

But before she could react further, a voice cried out above the rest with commanding authority.

“Welcome to the Tavern!”

They looked up. A large, red wolf appeared on the ledges above. The room quieted instantly.

“What brings ye to the Citadel?” he roared.

“Rest and company!” Ben answered.

“Then ye’ve come to the right place!” the wolf leapt down from the ledge and approached. “My name is Jude—I’m the governor ‘round these parts.” he grinned. “In fact, I report directly to Edward Hall himself, may he reign supreme. I look forward to hearing of yer tales—you certainly look like ye’ve been in some! But first—” he gestured to some wolves towards the back of the room. They immediately went behind the back of the Tavern.

Jude turned back to Ben. “You're just in time for an execution! A prisoner transferred all the way from the West coast!”

As he said this, a terrible shriek sounded from the back of the room. The wolves that had gone to the back appeared once more, dragging someone from the room.  
  
And Ben recognized him instantly.

” _Shit_.”

It was none other than the coyote Gonzales, screaming and begging as soldiers led toward his fate. He had a pronounced limp from when his leg was broken.

Ben’s surprise swiftly turned to Rachel. ”We need to get out of here” he whispered sharply.

She turned to him, her eyes still wide with horror at the unfolding scene. “What do you mean?”

“That coyote knows me.”

Rachel gasped. “But—how?”

“I've had dealings with him before. If he recognizes me—”

Rachel blanched. “Oh—oh _fuck_.”

“Follow my lead.” Ben slowly began to back up as Jude began the trial.

“Gonzalez Runner of the West Province! Ye are sentenced to death for treason and having dealings with a rebellion organization! What say ye?”

The coyote couldn't even speak, his throat constricted with fear. Ben and Rachel neared the entrance as silently as possible.

“So be it!” Jude cried in a terrible voice. Ben reached the corridor, Rachel just behind him. They prepared to bolt.

Jude stepped to the edge of the boiling, rolling pit. “Now, your death— _wait_!” The room quieted.

He trotted over to Ben and Rachel. “Where are ye goin’, stranger?”

Before Ben could reply, a shriek came from the other side of the pit.

“ _Ben_?!” The wolf flinched as Gonzalez called his name. “Ben! What are you doing here? _Why! Why did you leave meeee_!!!” the coyote screamed desperately.

“ _Quiet_!” Jude snapped, stepping back to the pit’s edge. He glared at the coyote. “You know this wolf?”

“ _YES_!” Gonzalez cried eagerly. “He is Ben Dukeson, the Killer of the West Citadel!”

All eyes turned and looked toward Ben and Rachel in shock and horror.

Ben sat down hard. “Aaah—son of a motherf—”

“What are you waiting for!?” Jude screamed, recovering from his confusion. “ _Get hiiiiiiiiiimm_!!!”


	10. The Horrors of Maturity

Ben and Rachel ran with all their might through the corridor and into the courtyard of the Tavern, pursued by almost forty wolves. The guards in the courtyard looked up in surprise as they sped past, then jumped up and followed once they realized what was happening.

Out into the crowded streets they ran, avoiding the many citizens, not daring to look back as more and more soldiers joined the chase.

After dodging around the streets for almost two blocks, Ben decided to bolt down an alleyway in between houses.

Rachel saw him turn just in time and followed into the alleyway. She heard a crash behind her and turned to see a soldier smash into the side of a house, barely missing her in his wild charge.

They continued to run, their pace never changing, as they heard the sounds of their pursuers all around them. At one point, they even ran through a house, nearly scaring the residents living there to death as they thundered into their home. But whatever they did, they never could shake off the soldiers, who chased them with a terrible determination.

After what seemed like an eternity, they finally beheld the entrance to the city. But, as they approached, they saw a group of guards between them and the way out.

The guards looked up in confusion as the sounds of the chase reached their ears.

“ _Don’t let them throoooouuuuugh!!!”_ Jude’s voice rang out from behind.

Ben cursed as the guards up ahead readied themselves to attack. He looked around desperately, trying to find another way—

An opening appeared on the pillar to the left of the entrance.

“ _Rachel! Through there_!” he roared, then leapt through the opening. She followed, dodging a guard who leapt toward her, then disappeared through the opening. As she leapt into the small room, she blinked as her eyes adjusted to the sudden lack of light.

“Help me!” she heard Ben yell.

She turned and saw him struggling to shift a large stone brick toward the entrance. She hurried to his side and together they shoved the brick over the opening. They stood, panting heavily. Ben began to look around the room.

Rachel sat down, still heaving.

“What—now?”

Governor Jude arrived at the small opening, a smirk spreading over his face. Soon his soldiers joined him, watching the room.

“Ben Dukeson!” Jude cried triumphantly. “You are under arrest! For dealing with rebellion scum and the murder of scores of soldiers of the Western Citadel! Come out and face your doom!”

Silence greeted his challenge.

Jude shifted in growing impatience. “If you come easy, we’ll let the girl live!” Again, silence emanated from the opening. Jude growled. “So be it! Knock it down!”

Three soldiers came forward and began to push at the stone brick blocking the opening. It took them the better part of five minutes, during which Jude nearly began drooling with impatience. Finally, the brick was shoved forward into the room, revealing a second brick that was placed behind it.

Jude leapt in, savage glee on his face. It turned into an enraged snarl when he found the room empty. “Where the _fuck_ _are they?!”_ He searched around frantically to no avail.

“Over here!” A soldier cried. Jude came so fast he nearly knocked the soldier over. A second opening, leading back into the city, appeared towards the back of the room. Jude screamed in frustration. “ _Find them_!”

The soldiers backed away as he bowled out of the opening, screaming orders as he came.

“ _Find them_! Kill the girl, but I want Dukeson _alive_!”

The soldiers howled and leapt away, spreading out to different parts of the city.

When the opening was deserted for quite some time, a small portion of the room’s wall moved. A brick fell to the ground, revealing an opening in the wall. Ben and Rachel hopped down out of the small cavity.

“How did you know there was a hole in the wall?” Rachel asked, breathing heavily from being cramped in the tiny space for so long.

“They always keep a secret space in the gatehouses. That screaming dumbass didn’t even think to look.”

“So, what’s our next move?”

“We need to get out of the city. We’ll just have to trust it to luck that we’ll find the Riders.” He moved toward the opening. “Come—We’ll get out while they’re looking in the city.”

They moved swiftly from the room to the gate, slipped out, then ran to the right, circumventing the perimeter of the city and disappearing into the prairie beyond.

Rachel tensed, watching a plump rabbit feed in a meadow from the forest’s edge. She had been stalking it for almost an hour now, ever since dawn had broken over the humid forest. She crouched low, her legs tightening until they felt like they would explode.

It had been almost a fortnight since they had left the prairies and entered the humid forests of the east.

Her eyes locked onto the little creature. Her nose was filled with its scent. It continued feeding, unaware of its impending doom.

After a bit, Rachel crouched even lower, preparing to attack. As she did so, her front paw pressed into a twig, snapping it. The rabbit immediately looked up and around, fully alert. Rachel cursed inwardly and ducked her head. After a moment, the rabbit went back to feeding. Rachel closed her eyes in relief, then tensed once again.

When the rabbit turned to begin moving away from her, she sprang, traveling through the air as silently as an owl in flight.

The rabbit turned in shock as Rachel hit the ground, immediately bolting away as soon as it realized what was happening. But it bolted a second too slow.

A few minutes later, Rachel slid down into a small glen, the rabbit hanging limply from her jaws. Ben, having caught himself a couple of squirrels, looked up as she came down the steep bank.

“Mmm—that’s a nice one.”

Rachel sat down and dropped her kill in between her forepaws.

“Almost scared it off,” she said with a chuckle. Then she began to eagerly tear into the plump, grey rabbit.

“How far do you think the coast is?” she asked in between mouthfuls.

“Not too far—we should get there by the end of the month.”

“Good. I haven’t seen Eve in such a long time—”

As she said this, she noticed Ben dip his head and growl softly.

“Something wrong?” she asked.

He shook his head and cleared his throat. “Just had a little squirrel come up.”

She watched him eat for a moment longer. _He’s a terrible liar_ , she thought to herself.

Later that afternoon, it began to rain, casting a grey pallor over the land. Rachel watched the rain fall and the mist rise from the forest floor.

She got up as the glen began to collect water on its floor and hopped up the steep bank. Ben was there, dozing under a massive pine. She sat next to him, at the edge of the bank, and watched as the downpour continued.

After a while, she began to feel sleepy herself. The forest became a blur as her eyes began to dim—

“Scream and he dies.”

A low voice whispered into her ear. She stiffened with fear as she felt a claw on her back. She turned and looked into the yellow eyes of a soldier that was inches away from her. She also noticed a second soldier, standing over the sleeping Ben with his teeth bared.

The first soldier smiled menacingly.

“Be silent and come with me.”

He began to walk into the forest. Rachel hesitated for a moment, then followed him. He waited, then motioned for her to go before him. As she did, she looked over at Ben helplessly.

_Please—please wake up—_

Deeper and deeper into the misty forest he led her, glaring at her whenever she slowed down or looked back. After they had traveled almost a mile, he growled “Stop.”

She did, watching the soldier with growing apprehension. He cleared his throat, which seemed painful for him, then glared at her.

“You’ve led us a merry little dance, haven’t you? Nearly a hundred miles we’ve tracked you,” he chuckled, though it sounded more like death rattling in someone’s throat. “A merry dance indeed.”

Rachel glared at him, tears of rage and fear in her eyes. “What do you want with us? We just wanted to travel through.”

He took a step toward her as she said this. “The King doesn’t seem to think so— _Miss Birch_.”

She gasped quietly. “How do you know—”

“Oh, we know a little more than you would think. But that’s not important—”

He took another step toward her.

“All _you_ need to know is that Mr. Dukeson is to be brought to the Citadel to be tried and _you_ to bring the Riders out of hiding. So, I’m not going to kill you two—”

Suddenly he leapt forward, bowling her over onto her back. He pinned her, his claws digging into her shoulders. She struggled viciously, but the much larger wolf was too strong.

“But the term _alive_ is quite vague, don’t you think?”

The wolf left to watch over Ben cringed as a scream echoed throughout the forest. _Poor thing_ , he thought. _She couldn't have been that old—_

He looked back at Ben, making sure that the screams didn’t wake him. He then looked back at the woods with a grimace as the screams continued.

Suddenly the soldier was yanked backward and slammed furiously into the ground. His head swam as it hit a large root. He tried to get up, but a large paw stepped onto his face, pressing his head into the dirt. Ben lowered his head until it was inches away from the terrified wolf. His eyes glowed red in his fury.

He spoke in a voice so terrible, the soldier nearly passed out from fear.

“ _Where... the fuck... is she_?”

Rachel screamed in agony as the soldier dug his claws deeper into her shoulder. She struggled all the more, but that only made the pain worse. She screamed anew as he dug his claws deep into her side.

Through the pain, she suddenly noticed that her left foreleg was no longer pinned. Instinctively she clawed at his face.

He screamed as his right eye was torn from its socket. He rolled to the side, howling in pain.

Rachel immediately struck at his neck, the pain disappearing from her body as adrenaline coursed through her veins.

Her teeth tore into his throat, tearing out his jugular almost instantly. He collapsed, no longer able to breath. But Rachel didn’t stop her crazed attack. She kept tearing with her teeth and claws with all her might, screaming all the while.

Never ceasing her attack, she had no comprehension of time or feeling until someone grabbed her from behind. She whirled around to face this new opponent.

Instead, she found herself in Ben’s arms. Screaming with relief, she hugged him, gasping uncontrollably.

“He—he wa—is he de—he tr—h-e tried to fu—I killed h-im—”

“Shhh,” Ben whispered. Rachel stopped trying to speak and buried her face into his chest, vaguely registering that it was covered in blood, sobbing louder as the pain from her wounds and the realization that she had just killed someone came crashing onto her.

“It’s alright—” Ben whispered, hugging her close.

A strange feeling filled his heart—a feeling he hadn’t known for over five years. He growled softly—in surprise, fear, or relief, he knew not which. It wasn’t the usual rage, or pain, or guilt, or loss—it was pure, unadulterated love—a love he hadn’t felt since his daughter had died before his eyes. The presence of that foreign emotion forced tears from his eyes. He looked down at his young charge, gritting his teeth as he slowly, but surely, succumbed to his heart.

“Don’t worry, it’ll be alright—I’ve got you, baby girl.”


	11. An Unfortunate Turn of Events

Rachel stared listlessly at a small frog that had leapt up onto the rock beside her. It looked up at her, its enormous black eyes bugging out of its tiny head. She growled at it, its presence irritating her. When it did not move, she raised her paw to hit it into the river.

“Rachel!” Ben’s voice sounded from down the river. She looked up, then back at the frog. It croaked at her, its huge eyes bulging from its head.

She glared at it as she stood up and began to make her way downriver. As she slowly made her way downriver, she sighed heavily, listening to the crashing and bubbling of the wide river that spanned in between too lush forests.

After a few minutes, she caught sight of Ben, paddling out in the middle of the river. Two large trout hung from his jaws.

Eventually, he made it to shore. Shaking himself, he dropped the two fish onto a flat rock. “I got lucky and found a nesting pool,” he said, panting. Rachel nodded wordlessly, staring out over the wide river. Ben bent down and took a chunk out of one of the fish. “They come up here near the beginning of fall.”

Rachel nodded again, still gazing over the water. When she made no answer, Ben decided to give up trying to talk to her for the time being and turned his attention to his meal. When he finished, Rachel had not touched her trout. He growled softly. “You won’t make it much farther if you don’t eat.”

She laid down, resting her chin on her fore paws. “I will.”

“When?”

“Soon.”

He growled again, louder this time. “Rachel—you’ve hardly eaten the past two weeks.”

She closed her eyes. “I don’t want to.”

“But you _have_ to. You can’t just _not_ eat—”

She stood up suddenly, glaring into his eyes. “I _can’t eat_. Alright?” She laid back down, tears brimming her eyes. “Every time I try to eat, every time I sink my teeth into flesh, I imagine that—that day. I just can’t—” she fell silent.

Ben stood for a moment, then laid down beside her. “It’s alright. We’re almost to the coast—you’ll feel better then.”

She stood silent, but her tenseness lessened somewhat.

It was about midnight when Ben was jolted awake by a shrill scream. He leapt to his feet; his teeth bared. He glared around the small cave he and Rachel had chosen to stay in for the night.

After a moment, when the scream rang out once again, he realized it came from Rachel. She squirmed in her sleep, tears streaming from her eyes as she cried out in terror. Then she awoke, leaping up and scrabbling around in confusion. She blinked rapidly, her frantic breathing convulsing her body. When she saw Ben looking at her, she burst into tears anew and sank to the ground.

“I saw him—ag-ain—he cau-ght me—he caught me—again—”

Ben took her in his forearms and nuzzled her, murmuring to her as she slowly calmed down.

“I know—I’ve been there before, it’ll be alright—”

Anger blossomed in his chest as he held her. _Never again—never again will_ anything _touch you_ — _they will all_ die _before you even know of them—_

Ben sniffed the air, breathing long and deep. He turned to look at Rachel, who was a short way behind him.

“The sea isn’t far off! I smell it in the air.”

She breathed in too, smelling the salt and water.

“How far away is it?”

“Oh, I’d say about a day’s journey east.”

She nodded, avoiding a rock in the trail. They had left the river two days ago, when it had turned north. It became harder to travel, having to navigate through the dense forest, but gradually it became more and more open.

“How are we to find the Riders once we reach the coast?” Rachel asked.

“They’ll be patrolling the coastline for miles around their camp, shouldn’t be too ha—ah nuts.”

They stood on a small cliff, about thirty feet high, heading north and south as far as the eye could see. Ben growled in annoyance.

“Great, now we have to find a way down—”

“Look!” Rachel ran to the left. “A fallen tree!”

Ben followed her and saw a large oak leaning against the cliff face, about five feet down from the edge. It glowed from the evening sun that still shone through the trees.

“Hmm—looks dead. I don’t know if it can handle our weight.”

“What other options do we have?” Rachel said. “This may be the only way down for miles around.”

Ben sighed. “So be it. I’ll go first to make sure.”

He went to the edge of the cliff and slowly let himself down onto the trunk of the tree. It shook slightly, but otherwise held.

He began to slowly make his way down headfirst, trying to keep from sliding by sinking his claws into the wood.

When he was halfway down, an ominous cracking came from deep within the trunk. He stopped instantly, gouging his claws into the wood.

“Ben!” Rachel cried.

After a moment, he looked back at her.

“It was probably only one d—”

It cracked again; this time much louder. Then a visible break in the trunk began to appear beneath him.

He looked straight ahead with a weary look. “Ah, sh—”

_Craaaack_!

Rachel screamed as the tree broke in two, sending Ben hurtling towards the ground far below.

He landed with a _thud_. He managed one pained growl before the rest of the tree came crashing down onto him.

“ _NOOOOO_!!!” Rachel shrieked. She began to run as fast as she could along the cliff, desperately trying to find a way down.

After a short while, she found a small, stagnant pool, about a quarter mile from the dead tree, at the bottom of the cliff. Without hesitation, she threw herself from the cliff and splashed into the pool below.

She struggled savagely in the water before reaching the shore, leaping from the water and, without even bothering to shake herself, began to run to where the tree had fallen. As she ran, she cursed herself for not looking farther ahead for a safer way down.

“ _Ben_!” she screamed as she arrived at the wreckage.

Silence.

She leapt onto the pile of dead wood, searching desperately.

Then she heard a groan.

She leapt toward the sound. As she did, she spotted grey fur through the branches.

She struggled viciously to remove the branches, digging her claws into them and pulling with all her might. Eventually, she reached him.

Trying to ignore the blood covering him, she began to drag Ben from the branches. He snarled in pain. “St-stop—”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“Branch—”

Then she saw it; a branch had impaled his side, just below his ribs. " _F_ _uck_ , Ben!"

He wheezed and growled. “Get—moss—”

Rachel immediately bolted into the forest. Not long after, she found it; a growth of thick moss, clustering around a large oak. She grabbed a mouthful and hurried back.

Ben struggled to lift his head to look her in the eye. “Rach—pull it out—”

“What? _No_! It’ll kill you!”

“No—it won't— _please_ —”

She hesitated a moment, then she gripped the branch with her teeth.

“Alright, on three” she said.

He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes tight.

She adjusted her hold. The bark felt rough against her tongue.

“One—two— _three_!”

He let out a choked bark as she yanked the branch out of his side. Blood began to fountain out of the wound.

She grabbed the moss and promptly stuffed it into the wound. He groaned again, then the bleeding slowed.

Ben struggled to catch his breath. “You need to—find the Riders.”

“ _What_? And leave you here all alone? _Absolutely not_!”

“Rachel—it's our only chance—you _must_ —”

She growled viciously. “ _No_! _Why_? I can’t—”

“Yes, you _can_ —you must.”

She growled again, tears filling her eyes. “But what if a Pred comes, or soldiers, or what if you start bleeding again—”

“You’ll have to take that risk.” He grimaced as he dragged himself forward. “Please—” he looked into her eyes. “It's the only way. When you find them—don’t come back. You’ll be in enough danger as it is, running through these woods—” he gasped again as a spike of pain shot through his body.

She turned away. “Okay. I’ll find them—don’t you worry, I’ll find them, then I’ll get you help.”

He nodded. “Then go.”

With a sob, she ran into the forest as fast as she could go, feeling as if her heart was being ripped out as she went farther and farther away.

_No matter what, I’ll find them—I’ll save you—_


	12. A Bittersweet Reunion

It was nearly dawn of the next day when she reached the coast. She hadn't stopped running since the previous evening. She was starting to tire, her lungs burning, for even though she had the endurance of a wolf, she still had her limits.

All throughout the night, she had to struggle to keep from panicking. All throughout the night, she had to struggle to keep herself from her own thoughts—thoughts of what could happen to Ben.

So it was, when she witnessed the open expanse of the sea widen before her, she was exhausted in both body and mind.

As soon as she felt the soft touch of sand under her feet, she stopped. As she did, she almost fell forward, not used to staying still.

After she somewhat recovered, she started north, the flatness and softness of the sand soothing her sore limbs and feet.

Far into the morning she ran, the dawn lighting up the sea and sands with an incredible orange brilliance that astounded the young wolf, even in her current state of mind.

When it was mid—morning, she truly began to falter. The heat of the sun, and the fact that she hadn’t stopped running in fifteen hours, finally began to catch up to her.

Slower and slower she ran. Despair began to claw at her, but still she kept running, trying to refrain from thinking what would happen if she failed.

When she felt as if she would die if she ran any longer, a group of dark objects appeared in the distance before her. Joy flushed through her exhausted body. Not caring if they were friend or foe, she forced herself to run even faster, the sand spraying from her heels as she closed the distance between them. As she came closer, she saw that they were wolves.

Eventually, one of them saw her. He hailed his comrades, and they began to approach her.

It seemed like forever before she finally reached speaking distance. Still she ran, ignoring the wolves’ commands to identify herself.

When she was only three yards from the wolves, she slid to a stop, spraying sand everywhere. There she stood, gasping for breath, as the wolves surrounded her. As she did, one of the wolves approached her.

“Who are you, and wh—”

“That’s the general’s sister!” one of the wolves cried. The other wolves exclaimed in surprise.

“Are you sure?” The first wolf asked incredulously.

“Of course I am!”

Through her fatigue, Rachel was still able to identify the second wolf as Fowler, a captain in the Rider’s ranks. She preferred him over any of the other captains, for he treated her with a measure of respect that even her sister failed to pay.

Fowler approached her, waiting until she was able to speak.

“Captain—Fowler” she gasped.

“Miss Birch. What are you doing here? And where are your guides?”

“One—is dead—the other—he’s wounded—nearly to death—you must find him— _please_ —”

Fowler studied her for a moment, his brow furrowing. A confused look passed over his face. Then turned to the other wolves.

“You heard her! Teddy, go and fetch the general! Jardan, stay and watch her! Everyone else follows me!”

Rachel, still gasping, forced herself to stand up. “Here—I’ll show you the way—”

“ _What_?” Fowler cried incredulously. “Are you mad? You’ve nearly killed yourself coming here! Don’t worry about us finding him, we’ll follow your trail back.”

Rachel shook her head in protest, even as her legs gave out beneath her.

“Your sister will be here shortly” Fowler said gently. “Rest—you’ve earned it.”

As she began to fall unconscious, she watched the wolves depart, sprinting back from where she had come.

As she did, she noticed one of the wolves was much bigger than the others.

This was her last thought before being swallowed by a warm, comforting void.

When she awoke, the first thing Rachel noticed was the lack of light. As her eyes adjusted, she saw that she was lying in a small cave. She tried to rise but laid back down with a groan. Her muscles were so sore she could hardly move.

After a moment, she managed to gather the strength to stand. As she took a few steps forward, she heard someone approaching. A shadow filled the entrance of the cave.

“And how’s the marathon runner faring?”

“ _Eve_!”

Rachel embraced her older sister, tears coming to both their eyes.

“Rachel, oh how I’ve missed you!” Eve said through her tears. “Let me look at you—” she held Rachel in front of her. “You have grown since we’ve last been together—in more ways than one, I’m sure.”

“Oh Eve! Just wait until I tell you about my journey!”

“I’m sure it’s a tale worthy to be sung about for years to come—but first, let’s get you something to eat!”

Rachel followed Eve out of the cave, through a narrow corridor, and into a large cavern, so large that Rachel could hardly see the other side through the gloom. The light of midday shone through the cavern’s roofless top.

Nearly a quarter mile it spread out before them. Taking up much of the space were hundreds of wolves. Rachel looked on in awe.

“This is our entire force—all of our Riders.” Eve said proudly. “Almost two hundred of our most accomplished warriors, joined together for the first time in our history.”

As they made their way through the cavern, the wolves all nodded respectfully to Eve and Rachel as the two sisters passed by.

They approached the center of the cavern, where a large dip in the earth appeared. Within it, a massive store of food lay, surrounding a large spring that constantly bubbled up fresh, cool water.

As they came down the small path that led into the hollow, a large, somewhat fat wolf approached them.

“Welcome, General Birch. A meal for your sister, I presume?”

“Yes, right away,” Eve replied, in a cool, commanding tone.

Rachel looked at her sister. _Was she always so assertive?_

They took the food and retreated to a nearby patch of moss. The moss grew in the shadow of a huge tower of stone that rose nearly a hundred feet above them.

As they ate, Rachel studied her sister more closely than before. _She’s different—more confident,_ she thought.

Then another thought struck her.

“ _Ben_! Is he safe? Did you fin—”

“Woah, slow down! Yes, we found him about three days ago. He’s making a fine recovery.”

Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. She growled softly, angry with herself that she hadn’t thought of him sooner.

“Good—wait. _Three days_? How long have I been asleep?”

“Almost five days now.”

Rachel gasped. “That long—?”

“You ran nearly forty miles—without stopping, if your tracks are anything to go by. That is no small feat, I was worried you weren’t going to survive.”

Rachel nodded, stunned by the revelation. After a moment, she said, “When can I see Ben? He’ll want to see me—”

Eve didn’t answer. Instead, she looked at her sister intently, then leaned forward.

“I think it’s time you told me of your journey, little sister.”

For the rest of the day, Rachel recounted her travels to her sister, sparing little detail. Eve listened intently, sometimes asking questions, but for the most part staying silent.

When Rachel reached the part about the soldier’s assault on her in the forest, Eve growled menacingly. “Those revolting _savages_!” she all but screamed, startling Rachel.

Eve continued, a hateful, almost mournful tone in her voice, “ _They_ are the _true_ evil in the world, taking advantage of its current state to further their own animalistic desires— _that_ is why I have gathered the Riders here, little sister—to wipe all who live under the command of Edward Hall _off the face of the earth_!” she snarled venomously, spitting out the king’s name as a curse. Then she took a deep breath. “I’m sorry—please continue.”

“There isn’t much more to tell. About a week later, Ben—fell, and I found Fowler and his patrol on the coast shortly after.”

Eve nodded, then leaned back with a sigh. “You have been through _so_ much, more than one of your age should—”

“I’m nearly an adult, Eve,” Rachel muttered stiffly.

“Of course, of course.”

After a moment, Rachel asked, “When can I see Ben?”

“I’ll call you when he wakes,” Eve said distractedly. “You should get some rest—you still aren’t fully recovered.”

Much later, Rachel awoke to the sound of a wolf’s bark. Due to the lack of light, she figured it was sometime after midnight. She looked at the ceiling of the cave, feeling almost smothered by the small space after being out in the open for so long.

She heard the bark again, echoing through the stone passageways. There was an underlying menace in the bark, which concerned her. _Maybe some of the warriors got in a dispute_ , she thought.

She tried to go back to sleep, but the barking continued, accompanied by some growls as well. She stood it for as long as she could, then, with an exasperated growl, she left the cave in search of the noisy culprits.

Deeper and deeper into the dark passages the noises led her. As she came closer, the noise grew louder, so much louder that she realized there were many more wolves down here than she previously thought.

Finally, she arrived at a large entrance to a moonlit cavern she hadn’t seen when Eve showed her around the base. An absurd amount of noise emanated from the cavern.

She looked in through the entrance—and her heart caught in her throat. For before her, scores of Predators materialized out of the gloom; hundreds of the monsters, their hideous forms shining in the moonlight.

She looked on in horror, her mind racing. _How? Why? Where did they come from_ —?

Then she saw someone, a Rider, appear from a cave adjacent to the main cavern, only twenty feet from where Rachel stood. The wolf was escorted by two grizzly bears. It took Rachel a moment to recognize the wolf as her sister.

“ _Eve_!” Rachel screamed.

The cavern quieted as all eyes turned toward her. Silence reigned for a few moments. Then Eve sighed and, leaving her escorts behind, approached her, stopping three yards from her bewildered little sister.

“Rachel—allow me to introduce you to our newfound allies: The Hunting Clans of the _Venatores_.”


	13. The Demise of Hope

Rachel just stared at her sister in shock, unable to accept what her sister had said.

Eve continued in a strained voice. “I was going to tell you—I just wanted to tell you in the right—”

“Allow me, Miss Birch.”

A deep, rich voice slithered out from the cave that Eve had just come from. Rachel looked past Eve’s shoulder to the mouth of the cave, from which the surrounding Predators hurriedly backed away.

A strange scraping sound came from the cave, like a tree branch being dragged over stone, accompanied by a sharp, steady clicking.

Then _something_ emerged into the moonlight with a sinister, rumbling growl.

Rachel instinctively flinched, for the creature that came toward her was nothing like she had ever seen.

It walked on all fours, its bulging legs were stout, and they jutted outward from its body, giving the monster an awkward, hitching gate. Long, shining black claws jabbed into the ground whenever it took a step, making the sharp clicking noises. Instead of fur, the creature’s exceedingly muscular body was covered in dull, black scales that hardly reflected any light, giving it the appearance of a shadow. Its tail was long, almost serpentine in its slow, rhythmic movement. It scraped along the ground with a soft rustling sound. Its large, reptilian head stood arched, with all the authority of a king. But what bothered her most were its eyes; they were enormous, luminous, and the color of amber.

As the creature came closer, Rachel saw that it resembled a lizard—a lizard that stood a full head taller than the largest dire wolf. She took a step back as the monster came to stand beside her sister.

Then it did something completely unexpected: it lowered its head to bow before Rachel.

“Well met, Rachel Birch,” it said in its deep, entrancing voice.

She just stared at the beast, unable to do anything in her shock.

Then it lifted its head with the sound of scales rustling, and affixed her in its large, golden eyes. “I am Ouroboros—King of the _Venatores_ , or Predators, as you call us in your tongue.” He chuckled. “I apologize for the entrance—I have an affinity for the theatrical.”

Rachel stood for a moment, unable to comprehend this— _monster_ —speaking to her more eloquently than most wolves she had met.

At last she found her voice. “Eve— _what the fuck is going on_?”

Eve stood silent, avoiding her little sister’s eyes. Ouroboros answered for her.

“We are allied with your sister to eradicate the forces of Edward Hall, Miss Birch.”

She glared at the creature, sickened by it, but despite this, curiosity got the better of her. “What— _are you_?”

The black creature rustled as he took a step forward. To Rachel’s disgust, his tongue flicked out and tasted the air, its pink color a stark contrast to the rest of him.

“My species’ name has long been forgotten, though the ancients called us _dragons_ , after the legendary fire—serpents of old.” He chuckled again. “Although, since I am the last of my kind, I suppose I can call myself whatever I desire.”

He gestured toward his subjects with an enormous claw.

“I have led the _Venatores_ for a long time, when we still lived beneath the earth.” At Rachel’s puzzled look, he said, “Oh, you do not know? We came from below; from the scorching, subterranean caverns that riddle this world like veins through a leaf. We came to the surface when food became scarce, and we hunted. Oh, how we hunted!”

A savage gleam came into his eye. “Food isn’t scarce up here—although it is much more dangerous. Many of us have died since we came here—and so I come to the nature of your sister’s and my agreement.”

Then he stood up and began to walk around Rachel. His claws made her shiver as they clicked on the stone floor.

She couldn’t help noticing that she didn't even come up to his chest.

He then began speaking in a low, sinister voice. Rachel didn’t move, partly out of spite, partly out of fear.

“One of your kind has killed many of mine, one that kills with joy, whose countenance speaks of one who loves death, we whisper his name to our young to frighten them into obedience—we call him _Xisvass_ , the boogeyman, and _Occiser_ , the killer—but _you_ know his true name.”

Then he leaned down and whispered in her ear “— _Dukeson_.”

Rachel shivered, then looked into the great amber eyes.

“ _Ben_?”

Suddenly the monster seemed oddly familiar, as if she had seen him before. Her heart pounded in her chest as she began to understand.

The monster nodded. “ _Yessss_ — _Ben_. And your sister has agreed to hand him over to us—in exchange for our help in overthrowing Edward Hall.”

Then it hit her as she looked toward her sister in horror. _My dream—my dream after the fight at the quarry—_ it all came rushing back to her.

“Eve? Is this true?” Rachel asked, struggling to keep her emotions in check.

Eve slowly nodded. “Rachel, it was f—”

“ _How could you?! What the fuck is wrong with you!”_

Rachel turned and, brushing past Ouroboros, she began to run, eager to be gone from that horrible place.

Eve watched as her sister raced out of the cavern. _It’s for the greater good,_ she told herself. Ouroboros came to stand beside her once again. She couldn't help feeling repulsed by his scaly, unnaturally large form.

“She will learn to accept it,” he said quietly. “They always learn to accept, no matter how harsh the reality is.”

Eve nodded. Then the massive reptile shook himself, and said in a lighter tone, “Now then! I understand that Dukeson is in your medical bay?”

She nodded again. “Yes, he’ll be healed soon.”

“Excellent. When he is fully healed, we will begin.” He dipped his head. “Goodnight, Miss Birch.”

Eve watched as the creature left her, in the middle of the dark cavern, just as the other monsters began to stir from their respectful silence.

“It’s for the greater good,” she whispered to herself, though this time it seemed less convincing.

Rachel stormed throughout the dark, cold passageways, her mind a whirling mess of anger and hurt. When she looked up, she found herself at the entrance of her cave. Suddenly she felt unusually tired. Not caring how she had gotten there, she flopped onto her bed and closed her eyes. She felt herself slipping off into sleep—then a thought jolted her awake.

_I have to find him, I have to tell him!_

It didn’t take her long to find the sick bay; it branched off directly from the main cavern. She hurried past the drowsy guards and rushed into a long, narrow room, lined with deerskin mats along the walls.

She saw him the moment she stepped into the room.

He was sleeping on a mat, breathing steadily. She immediately rushed up to him, scattering small containers of salve and herbs.

“ _Ben_! Wake up!”

He cried out in shock and threw himself from the bed, blinking in the dark room.

”What _the fucking how who why_?!”

“Ben! It’s me, _Rachel_! You have to listen to me! Eve made a pact with the Preds to have you killed! We have to get out of here, they’ll come and kill you! Please, Ben, we ha—!”

“ _QUIET_ , _MISSY_!” the old wolf roared. “Stop squeaking and give it to me straight!” He grimaced, pawing at his side. “You dang near fuckin’ killed me right then, scaring the life outta me like that—”

“Eve made a deal with the Preds!” Rachel continued frantically. “She wants to attack the Citadels and the Army, and the Preds made a deal with her to have you _killed_! And their king wants you handed over for killing so many of them!”

When she stopped, he scratched his side thoughtfully, but said nothing.

“Don’t you get it?” Rachel screamed in frustration. “They’re going to _fucking_ _kill you_!”

He sat looking at her wearily for a moment. “I heard you the first three times.”

“Then why aren’t you doing anything about it?”

Ben sighed deeply. At that moment, Rachel suddenly realized how old he looked.

 _What an odd thought at a time like this_.

“Because there isn’t a blasted thing we could do about it.” he muttered, stirring her from her reverie.

“What? What do you mean?”

“Even if I can pull off escaping, how far do you think I’ll get? A mile? Maybe two? There is no escape from this, Rachel.”

“That’s ridiculous! Of course we could escape! Maybe across the sea, or up north, or maybe—”

“Rachel.”

She stopped when she heard his voice. It was different—it sounded utterly hopeless. She looked at him in apprehension.

He continued in a tired voice. “Missy—I’ve known about this, known about it for some time.”

“ _How_? We only just got here!”

“Remember that one Pred that got away from the battle with Frank’s pack up in the Flinties?”

She nodded.

“Well, I caught him and before I tore his throat out, he told me a few things.”

Rachel sat down hard as realization hit her like a falling tree. “He told you—about the pact, about you—”

“Yup.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me? And _why_ didn’t you run away? Why didn’t you _leave_ me—?”

“Because you needed to get to your sister—and I was the only one that could have done it. You’d never have let me take you to the Riders if you’d have known.”

Tears began to fill Rachel’s eyes. Ben scratched his side again, growling in pain.

“When I fell off that tree, I thought I was going to die—I thought that I wasn’t going to be able to finish my task. I wouldn’t have sent you ahead otherwise—I figured I’d be dead by the time they found me.”

She shook her head, whimpering. “You knew—all that time, you knew—”

He shrugged. “I had a purpose—for the first time in a long time, I had a purpose. And I wasn’t about to screw that up.”

The main cavern, now lit up with the midday sun, hummed with activity, for the combined force of the Riders and Predators occupied the area.

From her vantage point in a small alcove high above the cavern, Rachel couldn’t help but notice the distance that the two armies put between each other. _At least I’m not the only one to despise these monsters_ , she thought bitterly.

And yet she knew that the Riders would follow Eve to hell and back.

It had been a week since she had discovered her sister’s pact with the Predators, and she felt no better with the passing days. In fact, she grew more and more infuriated, more so when she found that her sister was avoiding her.

After a few more moments of glaring out among the many creatures before her, she stormed off to find a place to think.

As she traveled through the winding passageways, she passed many soldiers, Rider and Pred alike, and, despite her disgust, noticed that they all were tense. Whether it was the pact or the approaching campaign, she couldn’t tell.

She came to an intersection where four passageways met. To the right, two Riders stood, blocking a dark hall. Down the hall, a small room appeared. Rachel snarled when she saw it, for that room had been used as a prison for Ben for the past week, ever since he had recovered enough to move out of the sick bay. She glared at the guards until they looked away, but they didn’t move from their posts.

Her mood even darker than before, she furiously began to search the seemingly endless halls, her mind made up.

 _Eve will speak with me, even if I have to kill someone to get to her_.

Soon, she looped back to the main cavern. She searched the area carefully until she spotted Eve in the far-left corner, speaking with a dire wolf.

The sight only served to worsen Rachel’s anger.

She galloped across the cavern, ignoring the many warriors she passed, and approached Eve boldly.

“Eve!” she snapped.

Eve turned and met Rachel’s eye.

“Rachel, not now, I’m b—”

“ _Now_ , Eve! You can’t run from me forever!”

Eve sighed, then nodded at the dire wolf. The beast glared at Rachel as it stalked away.

Eve then motioned toward a small cave in the cavern wall not far from where they stood. They entered, Rachel following her sister inside.

As they did, Eve turned to Rachel. “Now listen t—”

“ _Why_? Why are you doing this? They _killed_ mom and dad, Eve! How could you side with the fucking monsters th—”

“It’s the only way!” Eve cried. “It’s the only way to eradicate Edward Hall! Don’t you understand?”

“He hasn’t even done anything to us unless we provoked him!”

“ _Oh_ , yes they have!” Eve snarled, her green eyes becoming moist. “Before you were born, I was captured by soldiers when I tried to sneak out of a Citadel. But they didn’t bring me to a judge—” Eve faltered. “They did— _unspeakable_ —things to me! And they would have done the same to you!”

“But Ben _saved me_!” Rachel screamed. “He brought me all the way across the world, and you repay him by _betraying him_!”

“Oh _please_!” Eve snarled. “Don’t tell me you grew _attached_ to him during your journey! He’s a brutal beast, who doesn’t care about anyone but himself!” Eve glared at her sister, suddenly transforming from sorrowful to enraged. She laughed scornfully, her green eyes glowing with a crazed fire. “You’re so _weak_! I would think you'd be old enough to understand!”

Rachel glared right back. “At least I’m not a backstabbing _murder_!”

Eve snarled, then turned away. After a moment, she whispered, “I have nothing more to say to you—nothing will deter me from my mission, not you, not anyone. Ben will die tomorrow, and we will begin our abolition.”

Rachel snarled back, then turned to leave. When she reached the entrance, she stopped and looked over her shoulder. “Think of how mom and dad would feel about this, Eve. They weren’t hateful—and they weren’t _evil_.”

Then she left. Eve growled violently, beginning to pace around the cave.

 _It’s for the greater good_ , she thought once again, but this time—she believed it.  
  


Rachel stormed off into the cavern, seething. As she did so, she passed close to the cavern wall, passing by many caves and halls.

As she walked by a particularly dark one, she was grabbed and pulled into the space in the blink of an eye. She struggled viciously; her mouth covered by a large paw with a grip of iron.

“Hey now, hey now,” a deep voice whispered calmly. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

After a moment, she stopped struggling, and the paw let go of her.

She turned around and beheld a giant white wolf, so large that Rachel almost mistook it for a dire wolf. But its pale eyes were kind, not like the hungry malice of the monsters she was accustomed to. Its voice reminded her of Ouroboros’, though much calmer and friendlier.

She also saw that its face was covered by a leather mask, so that only its eyes and lower jaw were visible.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“A friend,” it whispered.

“How do I know that you’re a friend?”

“You don’t. You’re going to have to trust me.”

“What’s your name?”

“Call me Draco.”

“Ok, _Draco_ , what do you want from me?”

“You _are_ Rachel Birch, are you not?”

“Yes—”

“Then I bring a message from the outside: do not despair. Wait until midday tomorrow, and help will come.”

Rachel looked at the masked stranger in wonder. “Who—?”

“They made me promise to keep their identity a secret but be sure of this: I am a friend, and I am not the only one.”

He then knelt to look her in the eyes. “I must go now. Tell no one of this meeting, except for Mr. Dukeson if you wish.” He turned toward the passage.

“Be prepared, Miss Birch. The world is beginning to change once again.”

Then he disappeared into the dark, swiftly despite his immense size. She watched him go, a thousand questions swirling in her mind.

Rachel awoke the next morning right before dawn. She immediately left her cave and hurried through the dark stone halls as silently as possible.

Soon, she arrived at the four—way intersection. She stopped at the intersection and peered down to the right. The guards were still there but sleeping soundly. As stealthily as she could, she crept past them, her heart pounding in her chest.

When she was halfway past, one of the guards suddenly jumped up and stood in front of her with a low growl. She started and struggled to keep down a scream.

“Rachel?” the guard asked incredulously.

“Fowler?” Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. “Why are you here?”

“I think _I’m_ the one who should be asking that question.”

“Please, I need to see him!”

“You know as well as I that no one is allowed t—”

“ _Please_ , Fowler, at least let me say goodbye.”

Fowler stood quietly for a moment, looking up and down the passage. Then he sighed. “Five minutes. They’ll be coming for him at dawn.”

“Thank you,” Rachel whispered, then hurried past him.

She stopped at the mouth of a small cave, took a deep breath, and entered. There was nothing inside except for a small bed of pine needles and a window facing east. Ben stood looking out of the window, waiting for the sunrise. He turned at the sound of Rachel’s paws on the stone.

“ _Rachel_?” he whispered sharply. “What are you doing here?”

At the sight of him, tears came to Rachel’s eyes. “I—I came to—” she stopped and sat down, struggling to keep her emotions in check. He came over to her and gently placed his paw around her shoulders. “There now—”

“I can’t believe she would do something like this,” Rachel whimpered. “She’s insane.”

Ben sighed. “She’s doing what she believes to be right.”

“But it _isn’t_ right!” Rachel snapped.

They stood silent for a moment.

“Listen, Missy—” Ben began.

“We can escape!” Rachel cried, standing up. “We can sneak out; most everyone is still asleep—”

“Rachel—”

“Yesterday, someone spoke to me, he said he was from the outside, he said that help was nearby—”

“Rachel—”

“If we only can get out of the mountain, maybe we can find him and—”

“ _Rachel_!” Ben snapped. “There is _no_ escape from this!”

“But—”

“ _Listen to me_! If we try to escape, _you_ might be killed too.”

“No—”

“ _Enough_ , Missy!” Ben sighed, then turned away. “Let me say my piece—dawn is nearly here.” Indeed, the cave had begun to brighten with the morning light.

“I just want you to know something; I don’t regret bringing you here. It’s one of the few things in this life that I’m proud of, maybe the only thing. I’ve cheated death long enough—I’m tired of living with myself and all of the things I have and haven’t done.”

He turned back and faced her. “I just wanted to say thank you for giving me one more thing to fight for.”

Suddenly, the passage behind them began to emanate with the sounds of approaching warriors. Rachel looked toward the entrance, then back at Ben, her eyes filled with tears.

“I don’t want to lose you too,” she sobbed.

He shook his head, then smiled at her. “You’ll be fine when I’m gone.”

He breathed deeply, then looked into her eyes. “Just remember one thing—don’t give in to despair, it’ll destroy you.”

He stepped forward and nuzzled her, then suddenly grabbed her and shoved her underneath the pine needle bed. As soon as he did, three tiger warriors entered the cave.

Rachel watched as they took him away, gritting her teeth in anguish. When she couldn't hear them anymore, she burst from under the bed and screamed, her agonized cries echoing throughout the mountain.


	14. The End of All Things

The late morning sun shone high above the massive cavern, illuminating the hundreds of warriors that occupied its floor. They all gathered around the tower of rock that rose nearly a hundred feet above them.

At the tower’s base, on a ten-foot high stone plateau, stood Ouroboros, no less unnerving in the sunlight. At his right side stood Eve, at his left his dire wolf lieutenant, Frader.

The Predator’s loud cries began to reach a fevered pitch as Ben entered the cavern, escorted by three tigers.

Rachel stood in a far away in a small opening in the cavern wall, near the back of the Rider’s ranks, watching the scene unfold with rising dread.

When Ben reached the small stone plateau at the base of the tower, Ouroboros lifted one of his giant claws. Gradually, the cries quieted.

“Warriors of the _Venatores_ and the Riders!” he roared. “Today, we began our conquest and rebellion!”

The warriors howled back.

The dragon continued, his deep, rich voice echoing around the entire cavern. “Today, we liberate! And take our place as kings and queens in a better world!”

As the warriors roared their approval, he turned and nodded to Eve. “We have an ancient saying for you, Miss Birch. ‘ _Si vis pacem—para bellum_.’ In your tongue, it says, ‘to have peace—prepare for war.’”

She nodded, a grim smile appearing on her face.

Then Ouroboros quieted, just loud enough to be heard. “But first—justice must be served.”

He motioned toward the warriors guarding Ben. They brought the wolf forth before the dragon. Ouroboros lowered his head and glared at Ben, his amber eyes blazing.

“Today, the _Occiser_ shall _DIE_!”

The Predators began to cry out in a frenzy, their cries filling the mountain.

Ouroboros then walked out to the center of the plateau and faced the multitudes once again.

“He shall face me in open battle! As is our custom when dealing with _murderers_!”

Rachel gasped from her perch, hope blossoming within her. _If Ben can defeat him_ — _surely, he can_ —

Ben looked toward Ouroboros, then at Eve. “Now I've seen my share of backstabbing bitches, but you are the absolute—”

“Don’t patronize me, Ben,” she snapped at him. “I do what I must, as do you.”

Ben’s guards snarled at him to move. He smirked at Eve as he began to approach the center of the plateau.

Just as the Predators savage cries became overwhelmingly loud, they stopped, the sudden silence crashing forth as forcefully as the noise had.

“My quarrel isn’t with you,” Eve said primly into the stillness. “Goodbye, Mr. Dukeson—your sacrifice will not be in vain.”

Rachel’s felt a chill up her spine when she heard these words.

 _My dream_ —her attention snapped back to the plateau as Ben reached the center.

There the two combatants stood, their gazes never wavering.

“Before I kill you, _Dukeson_ ,” Ouroboros said quietly after a moment, “I must ask you something—I heard your tale, how you were once peaceful, but then you became a monster. I ask you this; do you regret it?”

Ben spat as he answered back. “No, I don’t—but _you_ _will_.”

His eyes began to shine red with fury.

The dragon nodded, then lifted his massive head and roared; a savage, impossibly loud trilling sound that echoed throughout the caverns for a long while.

Rachel started at the sound, her hope flickering as she heard it.

 _Please_ —

Then the monster charged, his great tail whipping behind him, his terrible claws gouging the earth.

Ben waited until the beast was nearly upon him, then he leapt to the side and snapped his jaws shut on the dragon’s thick neck.

But the monster’s hide was too thick; it was like biting into a pile of rocks.

Ben had just realized this when Ouroboros grabbed him with massive claws and slammed him into the ground with a crunch.

Stunned, Ben barely made out the shine of a mouthful of massive teeth before they came down upon his right shoulder, sinking deep into his flesh. He cried out in agony as the monster tore at his body.

Rachel cried out as well, her scream startling some nearby Riders.

Through an agonized haze, Ben managed to get his claws underneath the great beast. He tore at the dragon’s belly, causing the monster to jerk back.

Ben wriggled out from under the huge claws and retreated back a few steps. He grunted in pain as he put weight on his right leg.

 _So he has a weakness—his belly isn’t as strong as the rest of him_ , he thought.

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than Ouroboros suddenly whirled around at an impossible speed and smashed his tail into Ben’s side, sending him flying to the other end of the plateau. The observing warriors roared wildly.

Rachel shivered as Ben hit the ground, the chill returning.

 _It’s all coming true_ — _he’s going to die because of me_.

As the dragon strode toward Ben’s limp form, Rachel looked up at the cavern roof. The sun shone brightly in the sky.

 _‘Wait until midday_ — _and help will come’._

An abrupt, crazy thought gripped her heart. _It’s only a few minutes away_ — _I can save him_!

Filled with a sudden burst of frenzied energy, Rachel leapt from the cavern wall and began to run toward the plateau with all of her might.

_I won’t let my dream come true; I can save him!_

Ouroboros lifted his tail once again and slammed it down into the ground with a booming crash.

Ben rolled away just in time to avoid being flattened. As he did so, he gasped with pain. From the sharp pain in his side, he knew that one of his ribs were broken, maybe more.

He rolled again, ducking under a wild swipe from the dragon’s wicked claws. As soon as he got to his feet, he sprang toward the monster’s side, slamming into it. When the dragon stumbled, Ben slid underneath it’s belly and sank his teeth into the monster’s flesh.

Ouroboros let loose an unearthly shriek, causing some nearby warriors to wince and cover their ears.

Ben tensed his jaw to hang onto the dragon’s hide, but instead of jumping up, Ouroboros whipped his tale under himself, curling it around Ben’s middle. Before he understood what was happening, the wolf was dragged out from underneath Ouroboros, his teeth losing their grip on the dragon’s underside, and was flung into the air. Ben barely had time to realize what was happening before he slammed into the stone tower with bone-crushing force. The last thing he heard was the cheering of the warriors as he sank into a rolling blackness.

Rachel dodged and ducked between the Rider’s ranks, desperately trying to make it to the platform before Ben was killed. As she ran, she spared a glance toward the sky.

 _Almost there, almost there_!

Then she heard a resounding _crack_ and more cheering, the sound galvanizing her to go faster. Then, when she feared that she had somehow gotten lost in the tightly knit formations of wolves, she burst into the small clearing before the plateau.

She immediately bolted up the plateau’s side and pulled herself over the edge.

To her horror, she saw Ben lay at the bottom of the stone tower, unmoving, Ouroboros approaching him with his teeth bared. The dragon hissed menacingly as he drew closer, his long tail whipping back and forth in anticipation of the kill.

Rachel drew a deep breath, her heart pounding furiously, then charged at the monster’s back. As she leapt for an attack, the dragon suddenly turned around and snarled, bringing his claws forward.

But not fast enough.

Rachel sailed past the evil claws and smashed into Ouroboros’ head, her teeth latching onto his nose. The monster roared and slung his head around with such force that Rachel lost her grip and the dragon lost his footing.

Rachel flew away and Ouroboros fell with a _boom_.

As soon as she landed, Rachel leapt up to attack again.

“ _Rachel_!”

Suddenly someone sank their teeth into her shoulder and yanked her to the ground. Rachel snarled in pain and anger and turned to face this new opponent.

But her heart sank when she saw that it was Eve who had attacked her.

Before she could do anything else, an enormous paw forced her head into the ground.

“ _Enough_ , you little devil,” an evil voice snarled at her. It was the dire wolf lieutenant. Rachel struggled feebly, the monster’s strength too much for her. She turned her head and watched as Ouroboros got to his feet, snarling at her, then turning once again toward Ben.

All she could do was watch and scream as the dragon opened his jaws wide to end Ben’s life. Time seemed to stand still as Ouroboros lunged forward with a savage roar.

“ _YAAAAAAAAH!_ ” A fierce cry rang out from above, causing everyone within the cavern to look up toward the stone tower.

“ _Why’d you leave me so high, you stupid bird_!” the voice sounded again.

A huge eagle shot out from behind the tower and disappeared through the cavern roof.

Then a small figure jumped out from the tower, hurtling towards the plateau like a tiny rocket, and smashed into Ouroboros' head.

The dragon snorted in shock and jumped back, freeing himself of the creature.

The creature leapt down, placing itself between the dragon and Ben, who was just coming to his senses. The small beast immediately burst out laughing upon seeing Ouroboros.

“You are _so fucking ugly_! _How_ can one creature be so _fucking ugly_!”

Ben opened his eyes, seeing the small beast in front of him. The beast turned around and grinned at the addled wolf.

“You’re doing great, sweetie—I would've probably keeled over dead in the first minute by the sight of his ugly face alone!”

Ben stared back, utter shock filling his mind.

“— _CALEB_?!”


	15. The Good Fight

The fox laughed again. “How’s it goin’, _gramps_?”

Ben slowly got to his feet, his mouth hanging open. “But—you— _how_?”

Caleb chuckled at the wolf's confusion. “Tell you later.”

Rachel couldn't believe her eyes. Before she could wonder further, suddenly the dire wolf restraining her fell with a gurgling yelp. A wolf latched onto his throat, ripping viciously.

By the time Rachel got to her feet, the beast was dead. In fact, as she looked at her surroundings, she realized that all of the Predator guards on the plateau were either slain or gone.

As she turned and saw her savior’s face, she yelped in shock.

“ _John_?”

The young wolf bowed to her. “Afternoon, Rachel,” he said with a grin.

Then he lifted his head and howled, his cry echoing throughout the cavern.

A resounding roar boomed out an answer from the cavern wall.

Appearing out of the many caves that riddled the cavern wall stood a mighty host of wolves, nearly three hundred strong. Leading them was none other than Frank Dukeson, roaring out commands for his warriors and Citadel soldiers to surround the Rider’s and Predator’s forces.

Everyone on the plateau looked on in wonder as the two armies faced each other.

Rachel laughed with joy. _We can still win_!

But she flinched at the terrible howl that tore from Ouroboros’ mouth.

“ _What are you waiting for_! _ATTAAAACK_!”

“You heard him, lads!” Frank cried. “ _ATTAAAAAACK_!”

The two armies surged toward each other with a mighty roar. Bears, tigers, and wolves of all kinds clashed with a terrific cacophony of slashing, killing and howling.

Ouroboros turned back towards Ben, shaking in his fury.

John came to stand beside Caleb, glaring at the massive reptile. “You sure about this?”

“Why are we still here?” the fox answered, then bounded forward.

John and Caleb rushed at Ouroboros, who let loose an overwhelmingly loud shriek and whirled around, slamming his tail down from overhead.

John and Caleb jumped in opposite directions, narrowly dodging the deadly blow, and leapt at the dragon’s exposed back.

John teeth latched onto the back of the monster’s skull, while Caleb sank his teeth into the beast’s nostrils. Ouroboros began to buck and whirl furiously in an attempt to rid himself of his two attackers.

Rachel immediately ran to Ben, who gritted his teeth in pain as he struggled to stand.

“Are you alright?” he asked her anxiously.

“Am _I_ _alright_?! Did you forget the past ten minutes?” Rachel began to pull him to the ledge. “Here, let me get you out of here—”

“ _Bull fuckin’ shit_ , missy! I ain’t going anywhere. Besides,” he motioned beyond the plateau’s ledge, “We can’t go anywhere through _that_ mess.”

The furious battle between the two armies had nearly come to the plateau, leaving no path for escape.

Ben turned back toward the stone tower. “Let’s hope we win, seeing as we’re trapped on this rock.”

Suddenly, Caleb was hurled past them like a furry rocket and nearly went over the plateau’s edge. He got up, shaking himself. “My, he is a brute, ain’t he?”

He was immediately caught in a furious hug by Rachel. “I missed you so much! How are you alive?” she cried, squeezing him.

“ _Oof_ , I won’t be for much longer if you keep crushing me like that!”

She released him, tears spilling from her eyes.

Caleb winked at her. “If we’re still alive an hour from now, I’ll tell you all you want to know and more—”

Ouroboros’ enraged roar brought them back to reality. He had managed to throw John off of his back and was shouting orders to his Predators from the edge of the plateau.

Ben smiled grimly. “You want to take down one more beast, my good fox?”

“It would be my pleasure,” Caleb said with an extravagant bow.

Then they charged as one, dashing across the plateau and smashing into the dragon’s ribs.

The beast stumbled, clawing at the two mercenaries as he fell. They dodged his attacks and jumped back.

Ouroboros got to his feet, snarling at them furiously. “I’ll rip your fucking hearts out! I’ll tear out your spines and crush your skulls beneath my feet! I’ll— _raaaaaaaauuuurgh_!!!”

The monster shrieked in fury as John jumped from behind and struck at his throat. Ben and Caleb immediately charged, striking at his side. But, no matter how hard they bit at him, they couldn’t pierce the dragon’s hide.

Suddenly, Ouroboros jumped straight up, whipping his tail around with all of the force of a falling tree, connecting with Ben and Caleb. They flew once again to the opposite side of the plateau, stunned. Then the dragon snapped his jaws over John’s leg and threw him away as well.

They all got to their feet to the sound of Ouroboros’ taunting laugh.

“You cannot pierce me—how do you expect to beat me?” The dragon began to walk toward them, teeth bared. “I won’t stop until all of you are nothing but piles of blood and bones beneath my feet!”

“Stop this, Ouroboros!”

A deep, commanding voice rang out from behind the monster. He turned around, his amber eyes widening. From under the stone tower stepped the giant masked wolf, his white fur gleaming in the sunlight, his pale eyes shining out from his mask.

“ _You_!” Ouroboros roared. “I thought you were _dead_!” A strange tone came into the monster’s voice—It was almost sorrowful.

“I thought I was too, old friend,” the huge wolf growled, “but I wasn’t alone.” As he said this, a shriek sounded from above, and a shadow flitted across the plateau.

Suddenly, the eagle that had appeared before alighted in front of the masked wolf, its fierce golden eyes gleaming, its golden wings shining under the sun.

“It’s about time you guys showed up!” Caleb barked.

When the eagle spotted Ouroboros, it grimaced comically.

“ _Yurgh_! I didn’t expect him to be that _fucking_ ugly!” it said, its voice unexpectedly deep.

“That’s what I’m saying!” Caleb chimed in.

“Your abominable reign ends here, Ouroboros!” the giant wolf boomed forth. “You are too heinous a creature to continue living in this land!”

Ouroboros smashed his tail into the ground, shaking in his fury. “I’ll kill you too, Anaia!” he snarled, all of his menace returning.

“I no longer go by that name, brother,” the wolf said contemptuously. “I am _Draco_ , for I have left behind the ways of the Dragons.”

“I don’t care, _traitor_!” the dragon screamed.

Without warning, Ouroboros charged the masked wolf, drooling in his wrath. The eagle leapt into the air, avoiding the monster’s wild charge.

The masked wolf crouched, waited until Ouroboros was about ten feet away, then launched at the charging dragon. They both rose and clashed, struggling back and forth on their hind legs.

Then the wolf shot his head forward and crunched into the scales on Ouroboros’ shoulder with such power that he drew blood.

The dragon screamed and leapt away; his face screwed up in pain. The wolf backed off, watching the dragon with contempt in his eyes.

Ouroboros screamed again and prepared to charge once more.

Suddenly, the eagle swooped from above and began to claw and peck at the monster’s eyes, causing him to jump back. Once he was free of the eagle’s talons, Ouroboros swung his tail with all of his might at the shrieking bird.

The eagle narrowly dodged under the wild strike, which slammed into the stone tower with such force that the whole plateau shook.

The tower didn’t stop shaking, however—it continued to rumble and sway.

“ _It’s coming down_!” Ben roared. “ _Everybody get off the rock_!”

They all obeyed, leaping down from the plateau’s ledge just as it began to crumble. They all gathered below the small lip under the ledge.

Ouroboros attempted to leave as well, but Ben suddenly turned around and jumped at the beast, forcing him backward into the shadow of the falling tower.

Ouroboros lashed out and clawed Ben with such force that he was flung off of the plateau. The wolf was quickly grabbed by his companions and dragged underneath the plateau’s cliff.

With a horrible bellow, Ouroboros began to claw his way to the edge of the plateau. But he didn’t see the gigantic boulder that came hurtling down from the tower until it landed on top of him, trapping him underneath it. The dragon managed to let loose one last roar before the tower crumbled above him, burying the entire plateau with a mighty **_boom_**.

The sound was so loud that it caused a lull in the battle. The pause allowed for the battling warriors to assess the state of the conflict: nearly all of the forces of Eve and Ouroboros were either dead or wounded. When the remaining Predators realized that their King was dead, they struck up a mournful cry and began attempting to escape, the will to fight having left them. Frank’s pack and the Citadel soldiers pressed forward eagerly, victory within their grasp.

Ben slowly crept out from beneath the ledge, looking around at the cavern. As he did so, he spotted a brown figure disappear into a passageway into the cavern wall. With a growl, he bolted toward it.

“Ben! _Wait_!” Rachel cried after him. But nothing would deter the wolf as he sped across the cavern floor.

“Rachel! Thank goodness you’re alright!”

Rachel spotted Frank approaching them, covered in wounds and a relieved look on his face. He watched Ben speed away. “Where's he going?”

“He's going after Eve!” Rachel shouted. “Hurry! We have to catch him before he catches her!”

Eve had begun to slink away as soon as Caleb had made his presence known. She had begun to run when John killed the Predator lieutenant, dodging between her wolves as she frantically tried to get away.

As soon as she realized they were surrounded, she somehow made it through the chaos to the caves, where she watched the scene with growing dread.

Then when the tower fell, she decided it was time to leave, her mind swirling with ideas for how to recover from this catastrophe.

She hadn’t gotten far before she heard Rachel cry out. The Rider chief then turned and caught sight of Ben racing towards her with death in his eyes.

That scared her. Despite her declining sanity, _that_ scared her.

She began to run, running as she had never run before, through the dark passageways of her mountain. Before long, she heard Ben's growls and heaving breaths echoing throughout the mountain’s halls.

 _How is he already here_? She wondered in dismay. _His body is all but destroyed_!

Then she realized that she wasn’t going to escape unless Ben was taken out of the picture.

She knew these halls better than he did, than _anyone_ did.

Suddenly she changed course, heading deeper into the mountain.

Ben raced through the dark passageways, his eyes glowing red in the gloom. Eve’s scent made a very clear path, and he doggedly followed it, his teeth bared.

Rachel, Caleb, John, and the giant wolf Draco raced through the passageways not far behind, Caleb taking point because of his tracking prowess.

“We’re getting closer!” the fox shouted. “But—Eve stopped running!”

“What do you mean?” Rachel asked.

“Her scent is approaching faster now, too fast for her to still be moving—A little way ahead.”

“She’s leading Dukeson into a trap!” Draco roared, his deep voice resounding through the halls.

Ben growled and slowed his crazed rampage, his body crying out in agony. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to keep the same furious pace.

As he traversed the dark halls, he thought he heard voices from behind, causing him to go even faster.

 _They’ll try to stop me—I have to find her before they find me_.

That was the last coherent thought he had before his mind succumbed to his bloodlust once again.

After a while, he slid to a stop, suddenly losing Eve’s scent. He began to sniff up and down the hall, trying to find where the scent went dead.

“ _Ben_!”

Rachel’s far off cry caused his mind to suddenly clear. He looked behind from where he had come, the sound echoing softly.

It saved his life.

For no sooner had he turned around than Eve suddenly leapt at him from a branching passage leading the opposite way.

He ducked under her wild leap, her jaws snapping shut where the back of his skull had just been a moment before.

As soon as she hit the ground, Eve laughed maniacally and leapt once again toward Ben, knocking him to the ground.

He felt her jaws attempting to catch his throat in their deadly grip, then kicked out at her. She leapt to the side, avoiding the kick, and caught one of his ears in her teeth, pulling savagely.

He snarled in pain and rolled upright, twisting in her cruel grasp, then lifted his paw and clawed at her head. She loosened her grip, allowing Ben to jump to his feet and leap forward in a powerful headbutt, knocking her against the wall with a _boom_.

The four pursuers heard the sounds of combat up ahead, lending speed to their feet. Rachel was the first to spot them, skidding to a stop. The others did the same.

Ben stood over a beaten Eve, his paw pressing her head into the ground, his bared teeth inches away from her face. His eyes shone furiously red in the gloom, and he growled with a menace Rachel had heard only once before.

She instinctively took a step back.

“Ben—please don’t—”

Time seemed to stand still as Ben opened his jaws wider, the terrible growl still emanating from them.

No one dared to speak, fearing what the slightest disturbance might cause him to do.

Then the growling suddenly stopped. The red gleam disappeared. Ben stood up, breathing heavily.

“No—more—death,” he whispered haltingly.

Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Eve broke out in a sudden burst of laughter, startling everyone.

“You bunch of fucking idiotic _cubs_!” she hissed, wriggling under Ben’s paw. “You ruined everything! Now Edward Hall will kill us all!”

“ _Stop it_!” Rachel screamed. “Stop it now! I’m tired of your _hate_! You’re _consumed_ by it!”

Then Rachel leaned down to whisper in her sister’s ear. “You’re dead to me, Eve. I renounce you, now and forever.”

Eve’s eyes widened for a moment, suddenly becoming calm. She looked up at Rachel with a profound hopelessness gleaming in her eyes.

Then she began to struggle once again, a horrible yelping emanating painfully in her throat. The awful sound made everyone cringe.

“She’s gone insane,” Draco said quietly.

Then Ben lifted his paw, allowing Eve to get up. She immediately bolted down the passage, still making that horrible sound.

They listened to it recede down the tunnel. Then a scream replaced it, full of sorrow and pain. Then finally—silence.

Rachel sniffed, then turned her head away from the passage.

Caleb chuckled nervously. “And so, the world becomes a little brighter— _ow_!” Caleb rubbed his head where Draco had cuffed it. Rachel smiled, breathing deeply.

“We _won_ ,” she whispered. She then smiled at her companions. “Thank y—“

Suddenly Ben’s pained growl filled the passage. He gritted his teeth as his broken body screamed in agony.

Through his rapidly decreasing consciousness, the old wolf vaguely realized the ground rushing up to meet him, then a mercifully painless void enveloped him. The last thing he heard was Rachel crying out, echoing through his numb mind like a bell.


	16. Rebirth

“—I’m gonna turn you into a _fuckin’ feather mattress_!”

“Not if I turn you into a hat first!”

Ben awoke, slowly at first, then faster as the heated words continued.

“You couldn’t touch me, you double-crossing chicken!”

“Bold words coming from a mangy dwarf-wolf!”

“ _Brass fucker_!”

“ _Ass-licker_!”

Ben growled in annoyance, causing the voices to stop. He looked up and saw Caleb and the golden eagle glaring at each other, sitting on a small log nearby.

When he saw that Ben was awake, Caleb sprang down from the log, the motion rocking it back and forth, nearly knocking the eagle off balance.

“It’s about time you woke up!” The fox shouted. “I was about ready to bury you and skip the funeral! Hey, Goldilocks!” he snapped at the eagle, “go get everyone! And try not to lose any more of your brains while you're at it.”

The eagle glared at the fox, spreading his great wings. “At least I had some to begin with!” he screamed as he took off.

While they waited, Ben looked at his surroundings. They were in the main cavern, near a dip in the earth where the Riders had formerly stored their food in. He looked further and saw hundreds of Frank’s pack and Citadel soldiers, seemingly at peace with each other. Near the back of the cavern, a small area was set apart for prisoners, the sight obscured by a huge pile of stone that had once been the tower and plateau.

He shook his head, still struggling to make sense of what had happened.

After a short while, the eagle reappeared, with Rachel, John, Frank, and Draco in tow. Rachel immediately ran up and embraced Ben, silently hugging him as the others arrived.

He stood quietly embracing his young charge, joy growing in his heart as his companions all began to speak at once.

“You gave us quite a scare, brother!”

“I still don’t know how you survived, uncle!”

“Really? I’ve seen him take worse wounds just by tripping!”

“I doubt it, fox. Ouroboros broke some of his ribs, and that’s besides most of his shoulder being ripped out.”

“Aw, c’mon, Draco! You one to talk, seeing as how half your face is gone!”

Ben laughed suddenly, startling everyone into a stunned silence.

“That’s—you _laughed_?” Caleb all but squeaked.

Ben smiled slightly. “I did, my friend—I did.”

Rachel sat down next to him, leaning against him with her eyes closed.

Ben motioned toward his companions with a flick of his head. “But enough about that— _How in the fucking fuck are you still alive_? And how are _you_ here, Frank? And how did you convince the Citadel to help you? And who are _you_?” Ben asked, directing this last question towards Draco. The giant wolf began to answer, but Caleb piped up impudently. “He asked _me_ first!”

Then the fox turned towards Ben, a grin lighting up his face.

“So, lemme see—When I began to fight those soldiers in the desert, I was certain that I was destined to die that day. But, before they could do me in, here comes the biggest, meanest wolf I had ever seen! The mere sight of him scared the fur off of those lily-livered bitches, _hahaha_! Then he picked me up in his big ole’ jaws—I still ache from his teeth poking into my ribs—and brought me to a cave nearby. He gave me herbs to stave off the adder’s poison. Somehow, they worked.”

Here Draco stepped in. “I have never heard someone talk so much when so near to death’s door—”

Caleb yelped angrily at the white giant. “ _Lemme tell it_! Anyways, he introduced himself as Draco, the ex-Predator. And—” here he motioned toward the eagle, “he also introduced _this_ pile of feathers, Mr. Goldilocks.”

“ _Siton_ ,” The eagle corrected, nodding his regal head. “Pleasure to meet you. How you found the patience to become partners with this _nightmare_ of a creature, I’ll never know.”

“ _Anyways_ ,” Caleb all but yelled, “Draco said that he was formerly a Pred, but left a few years back because he saw how evil they were—took him long enough, by the sound of it. And _apparently_ , Siton saved him from some of the creeps, though I doubt he did anything but annoy them until they died of the sound of his stupid voice.

Then we decided to try and find you and Rachel, but we only managed to track you to the mountains. There we met a tiger, who literally began to cry in fear when he saw Draco here—funniest damn thing I ever did see. We managed to squeeze some information out of him, that’s how we found out about Eve’s pact with the Preds. When we heard _that_ , we desperately tried to find you, but only succeeded in finding Frankie boy here.”

“We were pretty damn surprised seeing Caleb waltz into our territory,” Frank said, “and alongside a Predator no less.”

“ _Former_ Predator,” Draco corrected him.

“ _LEMME TELL IT_!” Caleb screamed again. “So, Frank gathered all of his warriors and we began to march over the Flinties. We tracked you all the way to the Citadel, where, _hehe_ , the _hahahahaha_!” Caleb began to snort with laughter, unable to continue.

“We spoke to the governor of the Citadel,” continued Frank, “and convinced him to send his soldiers to help us; the chance to catch both the Riders and a great number of Predators unawares was too good a chance to pass up, even for that crazy idiot.”

“He _actually fainted_ when we said that we were looking for you, _hahaha_!” Caleb cried, still laughing. “He—he _hehehe_! He couldn’t believe that an _entire army_ of wolves were looking for you! _hahaha_!”

While Caleb recovered, Draco spoke up and continued their tale. “We tracked you to the East coast. I went with Siton to scout out the Rider’s base, that’s where I found out when your execution was. I also found Rachel, gave her the message and came back to prepare for the assault.”

“The plan was for me to drop in and distract them long enough for our forces to get into position” Caleb said, now recovered. Then he frowned. “Gee whiz, I sound like an old general.” Then he glared at Siton. “But this _bird_ put me too fucking _high_ on the _fucking tower_!”

Siton rolled his golden eyes. “Oh _please_! You were fine.”

“I almost broke my _legs_! Jumping on that monster’s head— _anyways_! After that, well, you know the rest. But after you fell asleep, we managed to get everything running smoothly, thanks to Captain Vern.”

“He’s from the Citadel,” Frank said. “He accompanied us and helped us plan the attack. Despite being a real mood killer, he’s a brilliant strategist. Ah, speak of the devil.”

A tall, black, hard eyed wolf came striding from the supply pit. “Mr. Dukeson,” he called out in a very formal tone, “we’re ready for the prisoner's hearing.”

“Thank you, Captain!” Frank answered. Then he turned back to Ben. “He’s a bit tightly wound, but he’s got the spirit. So—that’s about it!”

Ben shook his head, smiling again. “Thank you—thank you for all you have done for me and Rachel.”

Draco shifted, looking down. “Well, I was only really here for a chance to get at Ouroboros—”

“ _Can it_ , ya big softy!” Caleb cried. “That’s a load of _bullshit_! You wanted to help us just as much as you wanted to get at Lord Fugly Mug!”

“Well, we might as well get the hearing over with” Frank muttered. “Now Ben—Where’d they go?”

Ben and Rachel were no longer with them, having disappeared while they were talking.

“Give then some time,” Caleb said, sauntering off in the direction of the prisoners.

“They deserve it.”

Ben sat on a ledge, calmly overlooking the mist covered forest outside of the Rider's former mountain. The small ledge radiated peace and calm. The sun had begun to set over the world, casting long shadows over the mountain face.

His eyes closed, he listened to the sound of someone coming up behind him.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Rachel said happily, sitting beside him.

“... Yes,” he said with a long sigh.

They stood a moment, simply enjoying the peace and quiet.

“So—what now?” Rachel said after a moment.

“I figure we go back with Frank, maybe live with him for a while.”

“That sounds nice.”

“I bet it does—I heard there’s a young fighter that has caught your eye.”

She laughed. “He has a good spirit.”

“He does.”

They stood quiet a moment longer.

“Thank you.” Ben whispered. “For not giving up on me.”

“I should be the one thanking you, Ben.” she said sadly. “You never gave up on me, even though you despised me for a while.”

She laid her head on his shoulder. “You fought against the whole world, and the world almost won—but not if I have anything to say about it.”

Ben closed his eyes, once again feeling his emotions rise. He breathed in deeply, and as the sun disappeared beneath the horizon, he smiled. He felt as if he was made new, as if he was reborn.

For the first time in five years, for the first time since he had watched his daughter die before his eyes—he was at peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin
> 
> For anyone that happens to read this... thank you!  
> This is only the beginning of the baloney I plan to put up on this website... something that isn’t 2 years old, preferably.
> 
> Feel free to hate, compliment, or otherwise communicate at me.  
> Kudos would be nice, if you can spare them.  
> Until next time... Au revoir.


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